Pencil Skirts and Cowards
by nonchalantxfeelings
Summary: Lea knew that she was attracted to Eric, as much as she hated to admit it. But no way in hell was she going to be admitting it aloud to anyone, EVER. And it wasn't like she had to accept it. Attraction wears out at some point, or so she thought. But never can Lea be so wrong in her life. EricXOC
1. Chapter 1: The Aptitude Test

**Author's Note** **:** This story takes place during Tris's initiation. This story has not been BETAed. Enjoy reading!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Divergent.

* * *

Chapter One: The Aptitude Test

"Honey, wake up."

Someone was shaking me from my sleep.

"Mom…?" I called out.

There was silence before I could hear anything else.

"No, it's Ari. Aunt Ariana." The voice answered.

My eyes shot open, and I sat up in my bed quickly.

"I'm so sorry Aunt Ari. I didn't mean to…" I trailed off. I was genuinely sorry for mistaking her for my mother.

"It's alright. We miss her too." She said. "It's time to wake up. We should get you prepared for later. Today is the second most important day of your life." She said excitedly. Today was the day where I would find out where I belonged.

* * *

After my usual morning routine, I headed to school. Today was a day off for the whole school, except for the seniors. Since we all turned sixteen by early April, we would have to take the aptitude tests and choose a faction to belong in the following day.

I wasn't nervous; I didn't have a reason to be. Unlike any other test, we couldn't study or prepare for this one. However, sitting with my peers in the cafeteria while waiting for our names to be called, I doubted myself. All around me were rows and rows of table with students who were carefully organized through their faction. People all around me were nervous for their results. But I didn't understand why someone would be so nervous. Despite your result, you can remain in your current faction or switch factions. It's not like anybody was forcing a gun to your head and telling you to choose the faction that you got from your results during the aptitude tests.

Amidst all of my thinking, a woman called out my name. "Leanne Courtney." I stood up and proceeded to follow the lady who led me to a secluded room.

"Come in and shut the door." The woman inside the room instructed me.

I did as told and made my way to the center of the room, where there was a long chair and a computer next to it. The lady motioned for me to sit down as she introduced herself.

"My name is Tori and I'm going to need you to drink this." She handed me a shot glass filled with blue liquid. "It's going to stimulate your brain into a situation and depending on how you react in that situation, you will be classified into a faction." She explained. She sounded like she had everything recited, and she probably did. I was one of the last few people to be called in.

* * *

I woke up in a long chair. A glance around me and I knew that something was wrong. I just drank the blue liquid that the woman had offered me and I woke up to this. _Breathe. Don't panic. Breathe._ I tried to calm myself.

"Choose." A woman behind me said.

I turned around and saw a woman in blue. Erudite. "Choose." She repeated. I looked down and saw five bowls; each was a representation of the five factions: Abnegation, Candor, Amity, Dauntless and Erudite. "CHOOSE!" she beckoned me. I looked at her in shock and turned back to where the five bowls were, ready to make my choice. But to my dismay, the bowls were gone and now in its place were a vicious looking dog. It was baring its fangs on me.

"Easy now…Good puppy…" I tried to calm it down, like I was trying to calm myself down. _Who's dog is this anyway? And what the hell does it want with me?_ I thought. Before I knew it, the dog leaped forward at me and I ducked.

I crouched down with my head in between my hands. To my surprise, the vicious dog transformed into an innocent looking one and it was licking me and was happily wagging its tail. I laughed and started to pet it. Then I saw a reflection of myself in the mirror. It wasn't me; it was a younger version of me. She repeated my words from earlier.

"Easy now… Good puppy…" she said.

In an instant, I knew that the dog was dangerous. "RUN!" I shouted at my reflection. She didn't move. I looked back to the dog to see that it reverted back to the vicious one. I tried to hold it down while screaming for my reflection to run, but it just stared at me.

The scenario suddenly changed and I was in the streets. It was foggy but I could recognize the bus stop from where I was. I was supposed to be heading to school for the aptitude exams, or I would be late.

"Excuse me." A man stopped me. I looked at him. "Do you know who this man is?" He asked.

I could vaguely remember his face but no name came to mind. "Uhh yeah actually." I said.

"Who? Who is this man?" He asked, coming closer to me.

I observed the man in the newspaper again. He looked really familiar. "It's you." I said. I studied the man in the newspaper and the one in front of me. "You're the murderer." I claimed.

I shot up from my seat feeling uneasy. The last thing that i remembered seeing when I woke up from the serum was the man's creepy smile, it was like he was challenging me to fight him. "What were my results?" I asked, trying to distract my thoughts.

"Erudite." Tori responded.

* * *

I went home feeling a worse than I was before I took the test. I knew that despite my results, I could choose whatever I desired. However, now that I know that I'm best suited for Erudite, did I want to leave?

I arrived home shortly after leaving the school to find my Aunt and brother in the kitchen with a fancy meal.

"We know that you've been planning to leave Abnegation." Ari said in a sad voice. "But wherever you go or wherever you choose to stay, we'll always be with you." She smiled.

"And this meal may or may not be our last together, but it will be a special memory for you because from today on, you are independent." My brother finished.

I was so touched. They knew of my intentions from the beginning, however, they weren't upset of devastated. Instead, they encouraged me to find my own path.

After finishing up our lunch together, Ari and Carl decided to take up the jobs of doing the chores and told me to rest up.

* * *

I had been tossing and turning in my bed for the past 2 hours with no results. I checked the time, my alarm read 11:14PM. Surprisingly, my door slowly creaked open.

"Are you still up?" My brother whispered.

"Come in." I said.

He took a seat on my bed and faced me.

Seeing him now, so grown up made me sad. I wouldn't be able to get to see him grow up to be a man anymore.

"Leanne, what were your results today? For the aptitude test." He asked.

Normally, the result that you got had to stay secret. But I didn't mind telling my brother. It wasn't harmful to him.

"Erudite." I replied.

There was a silence after my answer.

"But if I were smart, I know that Erudite doesn't suit me. I'm not staying here in Abnegation, but I'm not going to Erudite either." I said.

"Why? It might be good for you." Carl said.

I knew that he was just trying to look out for me, but when the time would come for him to choose, he would have his doubts too.

"Carl, don't worry. I'll be fine. I promise." I took his hand in mine. He looked up at me with his startling grey eyes, which were identical to mine.

"You promise?" he asked.

Ever since we were kids, we took our promises seriously. And this one would be no different, even if it were the last promise that I would make to him.

"I promise." I said.

He lunged towards me to give me a hug. I hugged him back. I was really going to miss my brother. When i promised him that I would be fine no matter what, I made also made a promise to myself. I promised that I would keep him safe no matter what.

After we broke our hug, I ruffled his blonde hair.

"Go back to sleep Carl. Growing boys need their sleep." I jokingly said.

He kissed my cheek and ruffled my hair back before leaving.

When he was gone, I straightened my hair but decided against it and started to braid it. I french-braided my hair into two parts, down the middle. I was feeling quite tired after my brother left and wanted to rest, but to my dismay, Ari came to the door.

"Hey honey." She said when she saw that I wasn't yet asleep. She came into my room and sat on the edge of my bed. Despite my nickname, I didn't have blonde hair like my brother's or my aunt. My hair was a as dark as the midnight sky and it was striking to see in contrast of my grey eyes.

"I shouldn't give this to you now, but I feel like I should." She said while taking out an envelope from her back.

"It's a letter from your parents." She said. "The letter will explain everything, but you can't read it until you've made your decision during the choosing ceremony." She finished.

I was confused. My parents? I knew they were murdered, but I didn't know that they left me a note. It can't possibly be a will, because i was moving out soon. Before I could ask anything though, Ari hushed for me to quiet.

In a hurry, she added "I can't explain everything. After reading the letter, you'll understand. But please whatever happens to me or Carl, don't seek revenge. Promise me Leanne. Promise me." She pleaded.

I didn't know where all of this was coming from. "I… I promise Aunt Ari." I said.

"Good." She replied. She gave me a fierce hug and whispered, "I love you, Honey. I'll miss you. Remember what I said this afternoon, we'll always be in your heart." She said before leaving.

I barely had anything to say to Ari. I looked at the envelope. Even if I wanted to read it now, I couldn't. I was too tired and I could feel myself yawn. I tucked the envelope underneath of my pillow and let my heavy eyelids drop. I decided that after the choosing ceremony, wherever I was, I was going to read it and think then. For now, I needed my rest.

As sleep was getting closer to me, I could hear Auntie's words echoing in my dreams as if it were a chant.

 _You swore to not seek revenge. But whatever happens, we'll always remain in your heart forever…_

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for reading! Please review, any criticism is very much appreciated. Please notify me if there are any errors or any parts where there needs more clearing up or more attention. Thank you again :)


	2. Chapter 2: The Choosing Ceremony

**Author's** **Note:** Thank you guys for the follows and favorites! They make my day :) This chapter is shorter, but hopefully the next few chapters will start getting longer. Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Divergent.

* * *

Chapter Two: The Choosing Ceremony

I had already been up since 6:02AM that morning when Ari came into my room to wake up me. There were two knocks on my door before I answered.

"Come in." I said.

Ari pushed the door open and watched me pick out my last outfit from Abnegation that I would be wearing.

"About last night…" She trailed off.

"I remember. Don't worry Ari. I'll read the letter and I won't seek revenge." I said.

She smiled, but it wasn't a reassuring smile.

"Auntie?" I asked.

She looked like she was lost in her thoughts. "Auntie." I said again.

"Oh I'm sorry." She smiled. "Breakfast is ready. Shower and meet us downstairs. Carl and I want to share this morning's breakfast in your company." She said.

The door shut close behind her. She was acting weird this morning. I wondered what was in the letter that I could only read after the choosing ceremony and not now.

* * *

I had chosen a light grey t-shirt paired with a dark grey bottomed tights. They weren't much clothing, but the weather was warming up and this was the perfect outfit. Spring was here and the temperature would rise. My choice of clothing didn't keep in too much of the heat, and it didn't expose my skin enough for Abnegation to disown me right before the ceremony.

Before leaving to the ceremony, I explored the house one last time and changed my mind and decided to bring a jacket just in case. I took the letter that Auntie gave me the night before from my nightstand and carefully tucked it away in a pocket deep inside of the jacket that I had just taken out from my closet. My hair was left down, now reaching my mid-back since I slept on braids last night. It was more curly than wavy this morning. I liked this new style to my hair. I took a few elastics that were just lying around in the room and kept them around my wrist.

* * *

I was making my way to the school's stadium where the choosing ceremony was going to be taking place. On my way there, I spotted the leaders of all of the factions. The Priors were the first to greet us.

"Pleasant morning today, isn't it?" Ms. Prior asked us. She was a sweet woman.

"Perfect enough for the birds to leave the nest." Ari responded politely.

"Is Leanne choosing today too?" Mr. Prior asked.

Before Ari could answer, Jeanine interrupted our conversation and directed her attention towards the Prior family. "I'm Caleb…And this is my sister, Beatrice." Caleb introduced himself and his sister when Beatrice didn't make an effort to talk.

"I see. And who might you be?" Jeanine asked looking at me.

She was feigning ignorance. Everyone knew who I was. Even though I wasn't a Candor, I knew that she was just being polite.

Everyone knew about Carl and me. My parents were murdered a few years back, but their case wasn't solved yet. There were never any more leads to follow. We were pitied children of Erudite but it was Abnegation who took us in. Erudite had too much on their hands, and besides, my biological aunt was in Abnegation and she welcomed us with open arms. But I didn't hold a grudge against them, I just didn't was to be a part of them. I wasn't going to go back to Erudite.

"I'm Leanne and this is my younger brother, Carl." I responded.

She nodded, trying to look interested. But we all knew that she probably knew more about my life then I did. She was an Erudite leader for God's sake.

"And you're all - " She motioned towards me, Beatrice and Caleb, "choosing your factions today?" she asked.

"Yes we are." Caleb answered for all of us.

"I wish you good luck then. I hope you choose the right faction for you." Jeanine said.

"Well, I guess we should be taking our places now…It was great speaking with you today." Ari said while shaking the Erudite and Abnegation leader.

* * *

There were many more people filing into the stadium right now. The Dauntless were the last to arrive, of course, but they weren't late; they were never late.

We took our seats in the row behind the Priors. I was seated on the edge, ready to go to the front when they called my name.

"The world belongs to those who know where they belong." Jeanine said. I missed out on her speech; it was the same one that we heard before taking the Aptitude tests plus that line.

Marcus, another Abnegation leader, took initiative and listed every sixteen year-old in the room to come up and choose their faction. Meanwhile, I was observing the reaction of the family and parents whenever someone transferred. There were reactions ranging from frustration, devastation and relief. I wonder what Ari and Carl are going to feel, while knowing that I wasn't staying.

"Beatrice Prior." Marcus named. I looked at her as she slowly made her way to the front. She looked hesitant but took the knife that was offered to her by Marcus anyway. She cut her hand open and waited for her blood to drop in the Abnegation bowl, however, she changed her mind to Dauntless at the last second. "Beatrice Prior. Dauntless." There was a cheer from the Dauntless faction. I looked over to see her parents in shock and sadness. Two of their children had just left them. Caleb left to Erudite and Beatrice left to Dauntless. It wouldn't be too soon now until my name was going to be called.

It was after a few other names that Marcus called mine. "Leanne Courtney." I gave my family one last look before leaving to the front.

I took the knife from his hand and looked at each bowl.

"Choose." I could hear a woman say in the back of my mind. I cut my palm deep enough to draw out blood but I closed my hand. I was still deciding. "Choose." The voice in my head repeated. I clenched my hand into a fist and I could see the blood leaking out from my enclosed hand until I heard the voice again. "CHOOSE!" she screamed. I held out my bloodied hand over a bowl and heard my blood sizzle as it hit some stones.

"Leanne Courtney. Dauntless." There was a loud roar from across the room where the Dauntless were at. I let out a breath of relief that I didn't even know I was holding.

I smile and accepted Jeanine's offered band aid as I passed by. I could hear Marcus call out the next person on the list. "Christina…" But everything was getting hazy. I could see some Dauntless members coming towards me when I stopped walking. I felt like my head was going to split into two. I grasped my head in my hands and screamed. There was a pounding pain in my head, it was like someone was taking a hammer and pounding it on my head. I swear my head was going to split into two any moment now.

I was on the brink of fainting when someone finally caught me. My eyelids shut tight but I could feel someone shaking my body lightly. "Leanne….Leanne! Stay with us!" There were many other voices in the distance, but they were quickly fading away just like my conscious was.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** AND A CLIFFHANGER! How could I not leave one? Anyway, we're going to be getting a glimpse of Eric in the next chapter, but it won't be until chapter four until Leanne and Eric interact... Unless I change my mind ;) This hasn't been betaED so if you recognize any mistakes, please let me know. Please review and thanks for reading! Criticism is much appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3: Welcome Initiates!

**Author's Note:** Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Divergent.

* * *

Chapter Three: Welcome to Dauntless Initiates!

The noises that seemed so far started coming back, louder and louder. I slowly opened my eyes. "Wh - " I tried speaking, but I just coughed out blood instead.

"Shh. Don't speak too much. Here, drink some of this. It's water." A male voice said to me. He handed me a glass. I drank the water slowly, careful so I wouldn't choke.

"You were out for a few minutes there. But you're alright now." The same male voice said.

People reached out their hands to help me sit back up. I waved them away, I could get up by myself. Then there was a hand on the small of my back. I froze, I was suddenly _very_ aware of the hand on my low back. As if he sensed my discomfort, he let go and I got up. I turned around to see who it was.

"Thanks…?" I said. I couldn't recall his name.

"Uriah." He said. "Let's get you seated. There are a few names left on the list. Do you think you can walk on your own?" He asked.

I nodded and headed towards the Dauntless section. The people that came to help me scattered away and took back their seats. There were two empty seats on the front row of the Dauntless section.

Nevertheless, Uriah stayed by my side until I was fully seated and seated himself next to me.

The ceremony continued with no other problems.

* * *

"How are you feeling?" Uriah asked me after a while.

"Perfectly fine." I replied

He raised one of his eyebrows. He didn't believe me.

"Honestly." He said. He looked like he genuinely cared about me.

"Okay, I'm fine. I could do a lot better, but I'm fine right now." I answered truthfully.

He nodded, accepting my answer this time. I wasn't lying, I did feel fine. I didn't feel like my head was going to rip apart anytime soon.

As the ceremony continued, he kept on glancing at me. He was being awfully noticeable. I smiled. He was such a good kid. I hope Carl was like this to others at school. Unlike me, he adapted well into Abnegation. He cared for others. In my case, I didn't care for others. Unless you were Auntie Ari or my younger brother Carl, I don't care for you.

I decided to speak up. "Uriah, I'm fine. Honestly. I feel like I could run a marathon right now." I tried to reassure him. He looked at me in the eyes. His eyes were dark, as dark as my hair. His hair seemed to be the same color too. He smiled.

"I hope you are." He answered. What did he mean by that?

Before I got to ask to ask him, our little chat got interrupted. "Thank you for att - " Jeanine's speech got cut off by the Dauntless roars. Our whole section was cheering loudly and started running out of the building. I looked to Uriah.

"Catch you later, Lea." He winked.

I flushed at his casual attitude. _Lea._ It was different and yet, nice for a change. From the corner of my eye, I could see him catching up with his dauntless friends. Further up ahead I could see some transfers. But where was Beatrice? I turned around to see her catching up. I paused and started jogging beside her. She sent a smile my way. Up ahead we can see the Dauntless members climbing metal poles. I glanced towards Beatrice who looked back at me. We sprinted to catch up with the others.

She took the left pole and I took the right one and we both started climbing. I could almost make it to the top when someone offered their hand out to help me up.

"No, I can do it myself, thanks." I said before pulling myself up completely. I looked to see who had offered me their hand. It was Peter. Thank god I didn't accept his hand because I was pretty sure that he would have pushed me off. But whatever, even if I _had_ taken his hand, I would've just pulled him down with me when he pushed me off. He was such a meanie at school. But he always got away with everything because he was just being 'honest' and that was the goal in Candor.

"Come on, RUN!" Someone screamed. I turned around to see everyone running in a single file line. I glanced back and saw Beatrice there. "Come on." I said and started sprinting after them.

A train whizzed past us. I could see some people who opened up the carts and jump in. WHAT? Did they just jump – My thoughts were interrupted. A guy, transfer from Candor, didn't make it. He was pulled under by the train. Holy shit. I started running faster. "LEANNE! TAKE MY HAND!" Someone screamed. I turned to look at the train. It was nearly going to outrun me. I grabbed the hand that was offered.

I was panting heavily . "Thanks." I managed to get out a word. Where's Beatrice? I looked around. I hope she made it on one of the last carts. I looked around. There weren't many people in this cart. Mostly Dauntless born-members. I closed my eyes and leaned against the cart wall.

"Crazy, huh?" Uriah said. I looked up to see him. He seated himself next to me. I was still breathing heavily, so I just nodded. "We have 10 minutes until Dauntless. Rest up but don't get too comfortable." He said. I nodded again and waited for the train ride to end.

* * *

"Get ready to jump." Someone in the crowd said. What? Jump? Where? Were these people crazy? How could you possibly jump out of a moving train? By the looks of it, the train wasn't even slowing down. The door opened and air whipped inside. I got up and followed the rest.

From where I was standing, I could see people jumping out of the carts. Holy crap. They were actually jumping. That's it. I'm gonna die. If not now, then the Dauntless were going to kill me, I was sure. "Just jump, don't think." I could hear someone whisper among their friends. _Don't think. Just jump._ And I jumped.

I landed harshly on rocks and my jacket was nearly torn apart. I checked for my letter, and it was still securely tucked inside. I could hear laughter from my right and I turned to see who it was.

It was Beatrice and a Candor. I made my way to them and I smiled.

"They're crazy." the candor said. I joined in their laughter.

"Gather up, initiates." Someone from the front said. "This is the way to get into Dauntless. If you want in, jump." He said. I observed him from where I was while the others looked at where they were supposed to jump. He was tall, really tall and muscular. He was too muscular for my type, if i even _had_ a type.

"What's waiting for us at the bottom?" Someone asked.

"Well, I guess you'll have to find out." He said. "So who's going first? Anybody?" He asked.

There was a silence among the crowd, until Beatrice spoke up. "I will." She said.

The leader motioned for her to jump and everyone made way for her. She hesitated when she reached the ledge.

"We don't have all day, initiate." The leader said rather impatiently. He looked like a mean guy, or a guy who was having a horrible day.

She jumped. After a few seconds, we could hear someone say, "First jumper: Tris!" And there were applause and cheering. One by one and everyone started lining up to jump. Well, at least the Dauntless-born did. I got behind a girl and waited to jump.

* * *

It would soon be my turn to jump. I took a few deep breaths. The girl in front of my jumped and screamed. I hope there was something to catch me at the bottom. _Clearly. How do you think the others survived?_ My inner logic questioned. Breathe Lea. Just breathe.

The Dauntless leader looked me. He looked more intimidating up close. There were countless of piercings on his face. Did he have more on his body? There was a tattoo on his neck and it disappeared under his shirt. I wonder what the tattoo was...

"Come on initiate. Are you going to spend all day staring? Do you want me to push you off?" He said. He sounded more impatient than he was before.

Right. Back to reality. Gosh. I did not just check him out. Please tell me that i didn't just check him out while he was right in front of me. Oh my gosh. Does he know that I was checking him out? Did i look desperate? Way to go, Lea. Now he thinks that you're an ogling pervert. Just ignore him. Okay it's time to jump. Climb the ledge and close your eyes.

 _Don't think. Just jump._ I repeated my earlier words to myself, and I jumped.

I was caught by a net and there was a hand extended out towards me. "Name?" The male voice asked.

"Lea." I said.

"Sixth jumper, Lea!" He exclaimed. There was some applause and cheers from the dark again. I got near Beatrice and we waited for everyone to jump.

"So, it's Tris now, right?" I asked.

She nodded. "Lea." She said. I smiled.

After everyone finished jumping, Four, the leader who helped us out of the nets earlier, separated the group into two: the transfers and the dauntless-born.

"This is the Pit. The center of life at Dauntless here." He said. Everyone crowded around the ledge and peered down to see many people dressed in black (Dauntless' representative color).

"And that is the Chasm." He pointed in a direction where we could see water pouring down. "The Chasm is a reminder that there is a fine line between idiocy and bravery." He said. He didn't need to explain the rest.

He led us to a room with beds across the place. "You'll be sleeping here for the next few weeks until initiation is over." He led us deeper into the room and pushed aside a curtain from where we can see toilets and showers.

"Girls… or boys?" Someone in the crowd had asked.

"Both." Four answered.

After our initial shock and disgust, he told us to get dressed and that lunch was in twenty minutes in the Pit.

I took the bed closest to the washroom. I would like to be able to reach the washroom as soon as possible whenever I needed too. I immediately started getting dressed and that was when I remembered the letter. When no one was looking, I tucked it inside of my new jacket. "Bring your uniforms when you're done." We could hear Four's voice from a distance.

* * *

We burned our clothes in the fire before entering the Pit. Everyone was cheering as we entered the cafe. I stuck with an Amity girl, Kate, and ate at the same table with Four. Kate introduced herself to me while changing and we decided to stick together for the initiation.

Al, Will, Christina and Tris were talking about their old faction but I didn't join in. Kat joined in their conversation a few times but before she could explain more about her former faction, Four interrupted their conversation.

"I don't want to hear about your old faction. You're here now; Dauntless is your new home." He said.

"So which faction did you come from?" Tris asked. Did she just hear what he said? Four looked at her.

"Are you serious? What makes you think you can talk to me?" He asked.

"It must be because you're so approachable." She said. Judging from her expression, she saw everyone's expression around the table and decided to add, "Like a bed of nails."

Before Four could retort anything else, he was interrupted and left. Christina murmured something to Tris and everyone laughed. I joined in with them for a while. I couldn't spot the mean guy anywhere. _Don't you mean_ hot _guy anywhere_? My inner voice said. Ugh. Yeah. He was pretty. Pretty damn hot, gosh.

"Listen up." A voice interrupted my thoughts. _My 'perverted' thoughts_. My inner voice remarked. I sighed. Why are my hormones raging now? Of all times, it chooses to rage now. "Initiates, stand." A black Dauntless leader instructed. We stood up. He warned us about the upcoming weeks of torture here at Dauntless and wished the best for us. And everyone who was still seated started banging their cups and drinks on the table.

Before we knew it, the initiates were lifted up into the air and across the room. The air was happy and everyone enjoyed being lifted up into the air. "What the - " I froze up again when several people started to lift me up. I couldn't find my voice anymore.

"Don't worry." Uriah said and we locked hands in the air. He squeezed my hand for reassurance and I squeezed his hand back.

The next weeks ahead were going to be tough. I just had to take a deep breath.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Thanks again for reading! Please review and let me know what you thought. For those of you who didn't get it, the impatient man on the roof was Eric ;) and Lea was ogling him with her eyes. We'll get to see some chemistry between them in the next chapter though. I hope you guys enjoyed reading that. Sorry for the slow pacing of the story. After publishing this chapter, I can finally start to write out more scenes with Eric and Lea that are hopefully not too out of character. Criticism much appreciated!


	4. Chapter 4: Guns, Knives and Letters

**Author's Note:** Yay! We get to meet Eric in this story, although we don't find out his name yet. Lea refers to him as 'The Man.' Thank you guys for the follows, favorites and the reviews. Tomorrow's the one-on-ones. I wonder how those will turn out ;) *wink wink* I hope you enjoy this!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Divergent.

* * *

Chapter Four: Guns, Knives and Letters

We had our first training after lunch. After the excitement wore down, Four guided us to the training area underground. We were to report there every morning by 8:00AM, no tardiness was allowed.

"We take loyalty every seriously here, so no one gets to leave campus. If you do, you need to be with a Dauntless leader and since no leaders will want to escort a meaningless initiate, you won't be leaving campus." Four said.

Since half of the day was already gone, Four decided to use the remaining time of the day to train us with guns and knives.

"Here at Dauntless, we train the transfers separately from the dauntless-born. However, at the end of each stage, you will be ranked and cut together." Four explained.

"Um, cut?" Christina asks.

"Yes. Cut." Four replied.

"Well, what happens if you're cut?" Al asked.

Four didn't bother answering the question. Everyone already knew the answer to that.

"You go factionless." Peter said. There was a dead silence that hung around the air.

"The first stage is physical. We push your bodies to the limit and test your strengths. The second stage consists of mental stability. Face your worst fears and conquer them." Four continued his explanation. After no more questions from the group, Four led us to an exit.

"We'll be training outside." He said. He led us up a series of staircases which led to a roof. It was a different roof than the one we jumped off of.

He showed us a table where there were a bunch of guns. "Everyone gets one gun. They're already loaded but I'll show you how to load and aim." He said.

He took a gun and showed us how to load and then unload it. It was generally the same for every gun, although some had its differences. He took a different stance, positioned his gun at an angle, aimed for the target, and shot. It landed in the chest of the mannequin.

"Line up in front of a target. I'll see each of you individually. Don't forget to wear a protective vest." He said and pointed to a box filled with thick black vests.

I looked at the table full of guns. Everyone started picking some, mostly the long ones. I took a rifle and a jacket and lined myself at the opposite end of Four.

While he was giving advice to some of the initiates, I took the same stance as four and aimed my gun at the center of the chest of the mannequin. I could hear my shot and the impact had me backing up a few steps.

"What the hell was that?" I heard a voice from behind me. I turned around to face the owner of the voice, ready to tell them off.

"I…uh… It just shot…" I stuttered. It was the guy from the roof.

"Give me that." He said. He mumbled a few words after taking away my rifle. I think I heard him say something along the lines of _pathetic useless initiates._

"Are you paying any attention?" He asked me. I looked at my gun in his hands.

"This is how you load it." He pulled something from the gun. "And this is how you load it." He said. "Do it." He handed me back the gun.

I copied his movements by disabling the rifle and then reloading. I looked at him for affirmation.

"Well go ahead and shoot. What are you waiting for?" He asked, looking annoyed.

I looked away from him, ignoring his question again. I took the same stance as Four had previously done. I held the rifle with my right hand ready to press the trigger. I aimed the gun, and shot the target twice. They both missed the chest, but landed on the mannequin.

"Where the hell is Four? What is he doing?" The man asked rhetorically after witnessing my shots. Why was he always mad? And what was his name?

I wasn't that bad. I hit the target twice; the first time was a mistake. The gun went off by itself. After shooting the target a few more times, I took a quick glance around and saw everyone's progress. Tris had the most struggles and I could see Peter making comments after every one of her shots. The Man pulled Four aside and harshly whispered something to him. Four sighed and agreed. The Man took a few other glances around and criticized some other initiates before leaving completely.

He was intimidating. Four was intimidating too, but this Man was on a completely different level. I hope he wasn't going to be there every time we trained.

Four watched some more people shoot and skipped over a few people, including me. I guess that must mean that I was doing something right.

* * *

"Alright initiates. Keep your guns loaded and leave them on the table. Take off your vests and follow me." Four said after taking off into the staircase that led us to the roof.

I followed the crowd and stuck with Kate. She wasn't doing well, but she managed to get a few shots. I could overhear Christina trying to comfort Tris.

"Don't worry. We've got plenty of time left. You'll get the hang of it." She said and punched her friend's arm. Tris laughed and returned her punch.

I could see Peter from the corner of my eye. He was making fun of Al for only getting one shot. "Well at least you're better than the Stiff." He commented.

I think he meant Tris because she was from Abnegation. As for me, I was from Erudite _and_ Abnegation.

"We're here!" Kate said after a moment.

I looked around the room for a little bit and saw where Four was setting up. We were going to be throwing knives. I searched the room for The Man but he wasn't anywhere in sight.

"Alright initiates. This is the last training of the day. After this, you'll be headed to dinner and you can go do whatever you want. Make it count." He said.

Four made us pick a few knives and head to some blue targets. He showed us the correct stance and threw his knife. Like the gun situation, he hit the target right on the center.

"It has all got to do with the wrist." He said. "Angle your body in a comfortable stance and flick your wrist in the direction that you want to go." He said.

He started giving advice from my end.

I placed my left foot in front and the right one a foot behind. I held the knife in my right hand, and flicked my wrist. It landed on the head of the target. I looked to see Four's reaction. He encouraged me to throw another one.

"That was just a lucky shot, Lea. You're not good enough to do it twice." Peter said to me.

He was such an asshole sometimes.

"Well it doesn't look like you can do any better." I remarked. His knife had landed on the ear of the target.

"I was aiming for that." He said. The Man was right. Initiates were pathetic.

I shook my head and took the same stance as before. This time, my knife landed on the heart.

"Great job initiate." Four said and moved on to the next person. Peter looked my way.

"Well at least you can do something right." He snorted. I swear I was going to punch him one day.

Taking deep breaths, I focused my attention on the target again and practiced.

"Everyone, stop." I turned to see The Man.

He was standing next to Al, another transfer from Candor. "Go stand in front of that target." He said.

Al, intimidated, walked up to the target.

"Four, a little help here." The Man said. Four smiled a fake smile and went to the table to examine some knives. He came back after choosing a few.

"You're going to stand in front of that target and if I see you flinch, you're out." The Man said.

Why was he doing that? Four could hurt him. Just before Four could flick his wrist, Tris shouted.

"Stop! Stop." She said. Well, she had everyone's attention now.

The Man was about to say something, but Tris beat him to it.

"Standing in front of a target doesn't prove anything. Anyone can do that." She said.

"Well then. Maybe you could take his place then." The Man said.

Tris switched places with Al and Four threw his knife, missing Tris completely.

"Come on Four. I know you can do better than that." The Man said.

"You want me to give her a little trim?" Four asked.

"Yeah, just a little over the head." The Man replied.

Four focused on Tris and flicked his wrist. It cut her ear a bit. There was a trickle of blood sliding down of the whole ordeal, Tris didn't flinch one bit.

"Points of bravery for you Stiff, but not as many as you got for opening that mouth." The Man said. "We train soldiers here. Not rebels." He said.

* * *

We got dismissed to dinner. Once The Man and Four were out of earshot, everyone started talking about Tris.

"I can't believe she did that!" someone said, "Yeah! Maybe she really is meant for Dauntless." Another said.

"I can't believe it. Maybe there's still a part of her that's Abnegation. You know? Being selfless." Kate said. I agreed.

Tris finally caught up with us at dinner. Everyone was congratulating her, but I couldn't see Al anywhere in sight. Maybe he was just embarrassed or ashamed or something.

"Hey!" Peter called out to Tris. She turned around to meet him.

"Good work, out there." Peter said. Noticing everyone's looks, he added, "What? You're famous now. But not about the knife thing. I mean it. You're on the newspaper!" He showed it to us.

"Children of Andrew and Natalie Prior are beaten to death." He read aloud. "Is that why you moved out of Abnegation? Did your parents beat you like Marcus did to his child?" Peter asked.

Upset, Tris stomps away with Will and Christina by her side. "Asshole." Christina said before sprinting to catch up with them.

"That was… that was something." I said to Kate. Kate nodded. There was an awkward silence among the group before someone suggested to go eat dinner.

After finishing up my dinner, I decided to head to the medical ward to get something for my fainting. It would be ugly to faint in the middle of training, especially if Peter was there. Anything could happen when that guy was there.

"Hey, Kate." I said. She was still eating her dessert. "I'm going to head to the medical ward to try and get some pills for the...uh...fainting thing." I said.

She looked worried. "Do you feel like you're going to faint again?" She asked. "Do you want me to come with you?" She offered. I saw Tris and her friends, including Al, coming towards us to eat dinner.

"Nah, you should stay with them. I'll be headed to the dorms anyway after." I said.

"You sure?" She asked. I nodded and left after explaining to the group where I was headed.

* * *

I'm not trying to say that I'm stupid, because I'm not, but Dauntless was a hard place to get around. I figured that it was near the training area that Four had showed us earlier that evening but I couldn't get to that place.

After a long while, I made it back to the dorms, but no one was there. They were probably still at dinner or exploring around, like me. Anyway, I made my way to the training area by memory and found my way to the med ward eventually.

I knocked on the door twice before I could hear a muffled voice. "Come on in!" The male voice said.

I turned the knob and went inside. There was a young male with glasses sitting at a long table. He was pulling on some gloves and making his way to me. "What can I help you with today?" He asked after assessing my body for any injuries with his eyes.

"I fainted during the choosing ceremony today and I was wondering if I could get some pills to prevent them?" I asked.

Recognition lit his face. He knew about me.

"Lea, right?" He asked. I nodded. "I'm Michael." He smiled widely, exposing his sparkly white teeth. His eyes were hazel and his hair was blonde, like The Man's.

There was a silence between us. Standing next to him, I could smell disinfectant and some chemicals.

"Right." He smiled, breaking the silence. "Well for starters, I have to diagnose you first. Are you feeling any dizziness of some sort or anything?" He asked.

I shook my head. Throughout the rest of the day, I had some headaches but they weren't as bad. It just made me dizzy. He couldn't find anything wrong with me because I wasn't showing any signs of any symptoms that may lead to fainting. His only guess was that I didn't get enough sleep and I was too stressed and that put a lot of pressure on my body. He recommended me some sleeping pills to better help my sleep and some painkillers in case I would get some headaches.

"Well, anything else?" He asked.

I remembered my about my period. "Well, uh, since this is the medical ward, I was wondering if you could help me get to the pharmacy? So I can buy stuff." I said.

He looked shocked. "I'm the doctor _and_ pharmacist." He laughed. Right, he was the one that gave me the pills.

"But I wonder if there are any other workers?" I asked him shyly.

"Yeah, but my friend, Patty, isn't in today. We take shifts." He said. "Is there another problem?" He asked. His eyebrows were scrunched up together.

"Well I need stuff for my period." I said.

We stared at each other for a few seconds and we burst out laughing.

Apparently he had many cases like mine. Girls got their periods and got their toiletries from him. It was totally normal to ask him for stuff. He said that asking him for some pads or tampons were daily occurrences. He compared it to people asking the lunch lady what's on the menu. It was completely normal to be honest with him; he was there to help everyone anyway. It was his job.

"Well, I didn't think I would be getting any patients on the first day." He laughed. I laughed along with him.

"Well thanks for the pills and..." I said, motioning to the bag that held my toiletries.

"No problem. Be sure to visit tomorrow." He smiled. I blushed. "For the pills. I just want to see if you're having any side effects." He said. He smile and flirtatiously winked at me. I blushed even harder. I had to get out of here. I have having all sorts of attractions today. Maybe I _should_ get checked. If this continues tomorrow, I would be sure to get checked out.

I was out in a flash and in the dormitories. No one was there. Deciding that this was my one and only chance, I got the clothes that hid at the bottom of my bed and headed to the communal showers.

* * *

I was out and done before anyone came in.

"Lea!" Kate exclaimed and ran to me. "Where were you?" She asked. "We came back to the dorms for a while but you weren't here. We figured that you were still at the hospital so we took a tour around the compound." She said.

"It's alright." I said. "Besides, I got time to shower anyway." I said.

Kate pouted. She said that she would wake up in the morning to shower before anyone else was awake. I laughed and told her that I was going to shower in the morning also. Tris and Christina joined in the plan. While two people were showering, the other two would guard the place and they would switch. I explained to them about my trip to the pharmacy and hospital, and they laughed. They would be sure to see this cute Michael guy soon.

"So, Michael." Christina wriggled her eyebrows to me. I flushed.

"Who's Michael?" Will asked from across the room. Al seemed interested in our conversation too.

"NO ONE!" I screamed before Christina could tell everyone that he was my 'friend.' Everyone laughed.

Kate promised to take me to the tattoo parlor and the hairdresser when we got the time. We made a promise to each other that we would get our first tattoo together after passing initiation.

* * *

That night, while everyone was asleep, I pulled out the envelop that hid in my jacket that hung on the bed's frame and exited the room. I looked around, it sounded like everyone was asleep.

I searched for the Chasm. It wasn't very hard. I just had to follow the sound of the water. I remembered Four telling us that it was the Chasm that had the most minimal security because it could hardly pick up any footage or sound.

I sat at the edge of a metal like bridge. My feet hung on the edge of the bridge. It was 2:16AM and I was pretty sure that everyone was asleep. I breathed in the wet air a few times and opened the envelope.

There were two pages. The first was double sided and the second page was only half used. There was nothing else inside of the letter. The writing was elegant but the paper was rough. I began reading the letter.

 _To my dearest Leanne,_

 _I'm sure Ari gave you this letter on your Choosing Ceremony day. But I hope that this letter falls into the right hands, after reading this, you must get rid of it immediately. No one can know of this._

 _If you're reading this right now, then something must've happened to me and your father. Listen, I already explained to Ari everything. You can tell her anything. She is someone you can trust. But please, don't try to seek revenge._

'Don't try to seek revenge.' It was like what Ari said to me. I paid closer attention to the letter. I curled up my legs so they were pressed against me.

 _Your real parents, they're dead. Or at least that's what Jeanine keeps on telling me. I don't believe her. I think they escaped. I don't know where, but I think they're still alive. They were good friends of mine as well as your father. I hope you know what Divergents are?_

Divergents? I've heard of him in the school hallways, but they were just myths. They weren't real. But why was my mom talking about Divergents? And what did she mean 'real parents.' Was I adopted? I continued reading.

 _They have inconclusive aptitudes. They fit into more than one faction. Your parents, they were 'divergent.' They were also the ones who led the research of these Divergents. They were trying to save them from Jeanine. But Jeanine found out and got rid of them. I don't know how. No one knows where they are. Their bodies weren't in the coffins on their funeral day._

My real parents were dead? I didn't even know their names.

 _We took you and your brother in. We had to protect you. Jeanine swore that she wouldn't hurt you or Carl, but she keeps on trying to get the research that your parents conducted._

So I was adopted. And so was Carl.

 _If you're reading this, then Jeanine must've gotten ahold of the research or something must've happened to me and your father; probably the same thing as your real parents. I trust Ari has done something for you two, she's from Abnegation, and she's my sister._

Were my real parents murdered too? But they didn't have the bodies to prove it. I could feel my eyes getting wet. I blinked my eyes dry of the unshed tears and continued with the reading. I was almost near the end of it.

 _We observed you two while growing up. It was wonderful. We watched for any signs of divergence in you two. You seemed to fit in with the Erudites. But Carl, he doesn't. He gets along more with the others in the other factions at school. He's young, so no one bothered to care about him. I think that Carl may be like your parents and the people that your parents researched about. We've done enough research on our own, and we have some theories that fit. You need to make sure that Jeanine does not get a hold of the research. If she does, our world will come to an end. If you need anything, tell Ari. She'll help._

 _I wished I were there to see you two grow up more. We love you and Carl so much. We love you guys as if you were our own children. Protect your brother, Leanne._

 _Love,_

 _Mom and Dad._

 _(Chapter 2 explained that Lea switched factions from Erudite to Abnegation because the Erudite didn't want to handle with betrayers. Lea holds a slight grudge with them for it, and she didn't want to join Erudite during the ceremony.)_

I wasn't going to seek revenge. I promised Ari that. I was going to be fine, like I promised to my brother. But I was also going to keep him safe, because I made a promise to myself.

I ripped the letter into a million little pieces and threw them into the Chasm, letting the water wash the words away.

I didn't want to think, I just wanted to sleep. I would have to process the information.

My brother was a divergent. It wasn't proven yet, but I trusted my parents. I have to get to him and tell him everything. I have to make sure that nothing will ever happen to him or Ari. Why didn't she tell me about this before I chose my faction? I would've stayed with my brother. _Faction over blood._ Jeanine had said that on the day of our ceremony. I wasn't going to fall for that crap.

My brother came first, and he always will.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for reading! Woah *cracks fingers* that was the longest chapter that I've written, _so far._ Anyway, please let me know what you think! Is it progressing too slowly? Or fast? Do you need more clarification? Criticism much appreciated! I was thinking of writing the next few chapters in Eric's P.O.V. and Lea's. But I think that I'd much prefer writing both of their points of perspective in the same chapter. Let me know which one you like best (: Oh, and I don't know if Eric is starting to get out of character? I'm trying not to make my character too over-powered, but I don't want her to be weak either. Please let me know… Also, I'm trying to combine Tris's timeline with the story but I don't know how that will turn out, so the story will be a bit different than the movie and book. Lea mentions her switch of factions in chapter 2, so if that needs more clarification, please let me know. Thanks again and please review!


	5. Chapter 5: One-on-ones

**Author's Note:** Thanks for the new reviews, follows and favorites! I'm trying something new in this chapter, I'm going to tell some parts in Eric's POV and then switch back to Lea's. Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Divergent.

* * *

Chapter Five: One-on-ones

Kate woke me up around 6:45AM in the morning to shower. I looked around the room and Christina and Tris were still asleep. They looked like they needed the rest.

"Let's shower first. We'll wake them up afterwards." I whispered to Kate. She nodded.

"You can shower first, I'll guard." I told her. She gave me the thumbs-up and went to get her clothes. She had such a sweet soul. I don't know how she would make it into Dauntless, or why she had picked it in the first place.

"Okay, ready?" She asked. I nodded and we made our way to the showers together.

After taking both of our showers, we went to wake up Tris and Christina. I would take care of Christina. "Christina, wake up!" I hissed at her for the nth time that morning.

"WH-aT?" She mumbled slashed screamed.

"Shower. Now." I said. She mumbled a bit more before she got up to get her clothes ready. Tris was already done showering by the time Christina started.

It was a little before Christina showered that everyone started waking up. It was around 7:30AM.

Ten minutes later, Four came into the room and shouted for everyone to wake up. Training was going to start soon. Everyone lazily got up and got dressed, without showering of course, so that they could catch their breakfast.

* * *

We all gathered in the training area after our breakfast to see Four and The Man.

"We'll be starting the one-on-ones today." Four said. "But before that, we'll do some individual training first. I'll show you some defense moves as well as offense moves, but it's up to you to use them." He said as he guided us to some punching bags.

"I'm Eric, a dauntless leader and I'll be watching the one-on-ones. I normally train the dauntless-born but since there is only one training area, you guys will switch activities." Eric explained. "I trust that Four has explained the cutting process?" He asked.

By the looks on everyone's faces, he had assumed correctly. "Well then what are you guys waiting for? Are you going to stand here all day staring at us, or are you going to show us what you're made of?" Eric boomed.

Everyone dispersed to a punching bag and started training.

* * *

"First jumper, in the ring. Last jumper, in the ring." Eric said.

Tris made eye contact with Christina who nodded for encouragement and went in the ring. Molly, a girl who hung out with Peter, went into the ring.

"When do we stop fighting?" Molly asked.

"Until one of you can no longer go on." Eric said.

Four stepped up. "Or until one of you concedes." Four said.

"But in Dauntless, no one concedes." Eric said.

Four looked at Eric and harshly whispered something to him to which Eric's face hardened.

Everyone stared at the two.

"Well, do we start?" Tris asked.

Eric turned to look at her. He showed her a sign to go on.

"Come on initiates. We haven't got all day." Eric sighed.

The size difference would be advantageous for Molly in many ways. Noticing this, Tris backed up until she stepped out of the ring.

Hesitantly, Tris got back up in the ring and pathetically blocked Molly's blows. Tris saw an opening and latched forward, only to have Molly knock her out.

"This is the chart." Eric said leading the group towards a chart with names on it. "The ones below the red line after part one will be cut." Eric added on. Tris jogged up behind the group with an ice pack on her head. She searched her name to find it second to last on the chart.

"Get back to training." Four instructed. Everyone went to the punching bags with more determination than before. Each one of them planned on succeeding.

"Kate and Jean." Eric said. From across the room, I walked up to the ring to observe my friend's fight. Four was going around helping others with their training. Eric was supervising the fights.

He raised one of his eyebrows at me. I looked at him, but didn't meet his eyes completely.

I observed Kate's movements. They were slow and weak. But every time that she had a chance, she wouldn't take it, or she would hesitate which would give Jean more time to seize her.

Jean had a small frame. He was taller than Kate, but shorter than me. His eyes were calculating and his movements were precise and quick. He was smart.

The fight started to lag when we heard a voice.

"Hurry up and it already. Stop wasting my time." Eric said icily while making eye contact with Jean.

Jean looked uncertain for a split second before peering at Kate. She was breathing a lot heavier than he was and she looked like she was on the verge of collapsing.

Jean slowly approached her, but Kate didn't make any movement to defend herself, she wanted it to end just as much as Eric and I did.

Jean reached out his hand and pressed it somewhere between Kate's neck and shoulder. She instantly collapsed and Jean caught her.

"Well that was fucking pathetic. What the hell do you think you're doing?" Eric shouted.

Everyone turned to see what was happening.

"It's over." Jean said to the unconscious Kate.

Pissed that Jean was ignoring him, Eric snapped. "Go bring her to the hospital." He fumed.

Jean silently obeyed and brought her to the medical ward.

Watching his small frame support Kate's, I realized something. Jean reminded me of Carl. He was caring and self-less but he was just as calculating and kind as well. Was he…? I pondered. No way. He probably wasn't. I was just over-thinking things.

"Lea and Al." Eric deep voice interrupted my thoughts.

Quickly, I made my way onto the mat. It was a few inches off the ground. I watched Al walk to the ring.

"Hurry up." Eric rolled his eyes at Al.

Al quickly made his way there and faced me.

"Go ahead." Eric said, his eyes wandering around the room but the match that was about to take place in front of him. He seemed bored.

I memorized my opponent's moves. They were slow and lagging, but not hesitant. He fell a lot, missing every shot. He fell and I pounded him on his back until he was crawling on all fours. I trapped his arms and had his neck into a lock. I looked to Eric, the fight was nearly over.

"Go ahead and finish it off. Knock him out." Eric said.

I looked shocked and disgusted. Clearly the guy couldn't go on anymore. Realizing that my looks weren't going to change his decision, I looked down at Al. He was struggling in my grasp, but I wasn't going to let him go.

"Let, me, GO!" He panted.

"I'm sorry, Al." I said. I went for his neck with my free arm and knocked him out.

"Four!" Eric shouted.

Four jogged to us and looked at the situation. He leaned Al's body on his and looked at me. "Are you okay?" He asked.

Did I look okay? I just knocked out a guy. Al probably wasn't going to forgive me, but I had to be selfish. I had to survive. I nodded, afraid that my voice was going to betray how I really felt.

He left and I turned to see Eric staring at me.

"Why did you apologize?" He asked me.

Was he serious? Suddenly, he wasn't all that attractive as I thought he was when I first saw him on the roof.

* * *

 **Eric's POV**

Lea, the girl who pathetically apologized to Al before knocking him out, ignored my question. Her eyes hardened, and her gaze pierced my body. She sneered, _sneered,_ at me, and then walked away. With every year, the initiates were beginning to amaze me how ridiculous they can get.

Annoyed, I called on the next people. Their match was just as bad, but they were tolerable. I've had enough of them today.

"Everyone. Get out. Today's training is over." I shouted.

The initiates looked at me, then at Four. Were they expecting some sort of show-down?

"Get out. Now!" I hissed.

Immediately, the initiates started leaving.

I was going to show those people how things were done here at Dauntless. Lea and, what's his name? Jean. That's right. I'll show them what it takes to be in Dauntless. Showing vulnerability wasn't going to cut it. Showing mercy wasn't accepted here either.

"Why did you do that?" Four asked. He looked tense.

"They were too horrible to watch." I retorted and left the training area before Four could make another combat.

* * *

I found Jean first. He was at the medical ward watching over his opponent that he showed mercy to. Kate. The amity transfer. It was rare to see an amity switch to dauntless and vice-versa.

"What you did back there, that was weak." I said.

Jean didn't turn around. Did he hear me?

"Showing mercy doesn't make me _weak._ " Jean spat out the words to Eric. "And ruthlessly taking out your opponent doesn't make you brave either." He said.

Well what the hell did he think made someone brave? I sighed. This guy is pissing me off.

"Well if you want to stay here at Dauntless, you'll have to start doing things _our_ way." I said.

When he didn't make any effort to say anything more, I turned around and exited the room. Before leaving the room, I turned around to see him.

"That is, _if,_ you even want to make it here." I said and slammed the door behind me.

Great. One down, one more to go. I smirked.

* * *

 **Lea's POV**

After being dismissed so early, everyone went back to the dorms to relax for an hour before lunch would start.

I stripped myself of my jacket and sprawled on my bed. Kate wasn't here. She was probably still at the infirmary. I couldn't see Jean anywhere either. Maybe he was watching over her until she got her rest? That made me feel better to know that, but I was going to visit her after lunch.

I sighed. Jean reminded me of Carl. Jean wasn't very strong so I don't think he'll make it to the first part. But he managed to beat Kate. I hope they both make it. It's not good to have too many ties with everyone; someone was bound to get hurt at some point.

 _Protect your brother, Leanne._

Yeah, I should find a way to see my brother soon. Maybe tonight? Maybe I could sneak out tonight and hopefully make it back by morning. Aww who was I kidding? I'll have to wait and have a plan by tonight. Visitation day was still too far away and I wasn't planning on them coming for me. I'll be going to them.

"Hey, Stiff. What the hell did you do to make him that angry?" Peter said from across the room.

Tris turned to look at him. She shook her head and looked the other way, at Christina.

"Gosh, he's so stupid." Christina said. Both of the girls giggled.

"Where's Al?" Tris asked Will who just came into the dorm.

"Happily knocked out." Will said. "Don't worry; he'll be up by dinner time." He added.

The trio turned to look at me. "Nice fight." Christina said. I nodded at them, unsure of what to say. Didn't I just beat the crap of their friend?

"Oh that's right! It's the other Stiff. Well actually, the outcast." Peter said. What in the world was this guy going on about?

"You know, because Erudite and Abnegation doesn't want you. Face it, outcast. You're sick of being left out so you'll do whatever it takes to make it into Dauntless. Even if that meant beating up your friend." He said. His gang laughed.

I stared at him but didn't say anything. I wasn't planning on showing him how much of what he said was affected me. What he was saying was true.

"What? Nothing to say? Or are you going to faint again?" He said. His gang howled and laughed even harder.

Whatever, he was such a dick-head. Honestly, he could go fuck himself because I'm sure no one else was willing to.

"Don't pay him any attention." Tris said as she sat on my bed. I sat up straighter and made space for Christina and Will.

"Yeah, he's just trying to bring others down so he can be on top." Christina said.

"Besides, he's just terrified. Just hope that you'll be able to have a match with him so you can beat the crap out of him." Will said. He was smiling his boyish smile.

They all smiled at me. I literally just beat up their friend and here they are. Being friendly to me. How will being friendly to me benefit them in any way?

"It's alright. We do what we have to do to survive." Tris said. She looked depressed.

"Aww come on. You'll get a better chance to beat someone up tomorrow." Christina said.

Tris smiled half-heartedly back at her.

"I know what we should do! We should go get some tattoos!" Christina exclaimed.

Tris brightened just a tiny bit after that and left with them to get some tattoos.

"Wanna join us?" Tris asked me.

I shook my head. "No, it's alright. I'm waiting for Kate so we can get ours together," _After initiation._ I thought. If we made it, that is.

* * *

I wandered in my thoughts before the door to the room shut. I shot up and looked around. No one was in the room. It must be lunchtime right now. I verified the time; it read 12:37PM. Yea, it was definitely lunchtime.

I got out of bed, without putting on my jacket, and left the empty room.

I saw Tris and the others sitting on a table. I joined them.

"Hey, Al." I said.

He looked up at me. He had some bruises on his face, but besides that, he looked fine.

"Hey." He said, without bothering to look at me.

"I'm sorry about the fight… I didn't mean to kno - " I was interrupted.

"Everyone heard what you said to him before you knocked him out. No need to repeat it." A voice said from behind me. Eric. I sighed. I was getting tired of his attitude. Didn't he ever get tired of being angry all the time?

"Find someone else to bother. I'm not in the mood right now." I retorted. I stabbed some vegetables on my fork and popped them into my mouth. Al lifted his head and his mouth was slightly ajar.

Did I say something wrong? Everyone else around the table avoided my gaze, except Tris. She stared at me and then at Eric.

"Didn't you hear what she said?" Tris said. God was she fearless. "She doesn't want to talk with you right now." Tris finished.

I turned around to see his reaction. He had one eyebrow raised and he looked… amused…?

"Oh, okay. I see how it is then." He chuckled. He bent fown so he was at eye-level with me.

"Let's just see how long this 'mood' will last then." He said. He smirked darkly and left.

"What the hell?" Al was the first to speak after Eric left. I shrugged.

He laughed and continued eating.

"You guys are all crazy and if that won't be the cause of your deaths one day, then I don't know what else will." Al said.

Everyone laughed. The atmosphere seemed less tense after that.

* * *

After finishing up with lunch, I got up from the table and made my way to the medical ward.

Jean was still sitting there, beside Kate's bed.

"Hey." I said. He looked up at me and then back at Kate.

"Thanks for what you did back there." I said.

He looked back at me, stole one last glance at Kate and left the room. Maybe he was just quiet? _Or guilty…_

"Kate, wake up." I shook her awake, like she had done to me that morning.

She blinked her eyes open.

"What time is it?" She asked as she got up.

"Lunchtime." I replied before handing her the plate of food that I had collected before coming here.

She smiled and started eating.

"Don't worry Kate. I'm sure Jean lost just as many points as you did for not really knocking you out." I said.

Kate didn't say anything and kept on eating. Slowly, a tear had fallen down her cheek.

"I don't know…" Kate sobbed. She swallowed the rest of her food before breaking down completely. I hugged her in my arms. Her tears were soaking my tank top, but I didn't care. I hugged her tighter.

I patted her down hair. It was a rich brown, like the color of her eyes.

"Shhh..." I caressed her hair and she cried even harder.

"It'll be alright." I said.

She looked up at me and sniffed. I passed her a kleenex paper and she blew her nose.

"Hey, Kate?" I asked. She looked at me. "Why did you choose Dauntless?" I asked.

She looked surprise.

"My aptitude test, it was Amity." She said. It was quiet for a moment. "But I didn't feel like I belonged there. You know? I was so scared that my aptitudes would be something other than Amity, but in the end, I think that I was more afraid that it _would_ be Amity." She said. "I don't know why I chose Dauntless. I wanted to be different, the total opposite of Amity." She added. "My parents were so happy for me, they thought that i would belong, but now I'm doubting myself." Her tears started coming back. "But I'll do whatever it takes to stay here." She looked determined. "I'll make it." She wiped away her tears for good.

"Thanks for listening to that. I didn't think I would tell anyone about it." She said.

I squeezed her one last time before letting her go. She looked like a mess.

We stared at each other for a while before we both burst out with laughter.

"You look miserable." She said through her giggles.

"You're a mess." I replied. She laughed and got up to use the hospital's restroom to wash up.

"Hey there again." Michael said.

I looked up to see him. He was wearing a white coat over his dauntless black clothes.

"Hi." I said, albeit, a bit breathlessly.

"I didn't think I would see you so soon again." He said.

I shook my head. "I'm here for a visit." I pointed to empty the bed. He nodded.

"So I'll see you again tonight?" He smiled.

I blushed and nodded.

The door to the washroom opened and Kate slipped back into her covers.

"Hi Michael!" She said.

She looked back at me and then at him. I blushed even deeper than before, if that was even possible. I could feel Michael's intent stare at me.

"Well, I gotta go. Training's going to start again." I said and quickly got up.

"Wait!" Kate held onto my arm. "Doc, am I ready to go?" She asked.

He nodded.

"Great. Thanks Michael." She said before catching up with me as I exited the room.

"You're still blushing." Kate said. She seemed in a better mood.

"Ugh. Whatever…" I mumbled, unable to hold down my blush.

"It's not like I had _someone,_ emphasis on someone, wait at my bedside after a fight." I retorted.

I smirked at my successful attempt to make her blush.

* * *

We made our way back to the training area, where most of the initiates were.

"We're going to continue from this morning." Eric said.

Everyone parted and went to a punching bag without Eric's dismissal. They were starting to get a hang of his attitude.

"Peter and Myra." He said.

I practiced my offenses more than my defenses.

"You need to shield yourself more when you deliver a blow." Four said. "Explore your weak points." He said. I punched the bag a few times and found my hands guarding my face after each blow.

"Good. Keep working on that." Four said before moving on to the next person.

"Hey, outcast." Peter said from the other end. He just finished his match with Myra. He walked closer to me. I ignored him.

"Hey, stop." Molly said to him, catching his shoulder. He brushed her off.

"Who are you imagining when you're punching that bag huh?" He continued.

"Peter, I said stop." Molly said, forcing him to turn around.

He shoved her backwards.

"What? She's probably imagining _Ariana._ " He said.

I stopped dead in my tracks. Everyone knew my aunt, but why would he bring that up now?

"Are you imagining the way she beat your brother Carl? She beat him senseless until he couldn't even reach his consciousness anymore, and you weren't there for him." He continued.

What the fuck what he going on about? Ariana didn't _beat_ anyone. I turned around and made my way to him. I grabbed his collar and pushed my face in front of his.

"What the fuck are you going on about? My aunt did not fucking _beat_ us." I hissed.

I could see Four coming to Peter's rescue. He was going to need it.

"Really? Because I just read in the papers that your brother was found unconscious in the comfort of his own home without any traces of your aunt anywhere." He smiled manically. He was actually enjoying this.

I shoved him, _hard_ , until he landed on the ground. I was on top of him.

"What. Are. You. Saying." I sounded each word. My hand was tightening around his collar.

"Lea, stop this." I could hear Kate from the background.

I felt hands pulling me away from Peter. I grabbed onto his shirt harder. "TELL ME!" I shouted at him.

The hands got the best of me and I was lifted off of Peter before I heard him.

"Your brother is in a coma and your aunt is gone. She disappeared." He spat back at me.

I was pulled away and shoved aside before the words registered in my mind.

"What the hell Lea? I know you wan to beat him, but you can't do that until it's your turn to fight him in the arena. Are you listening to me? Lea!" Four shouted to me. I wasn't paying him or anyone any attention. My mind was focusing on Peter's words.

 _Brother. Coma. Aunt. Disappeared._ These words were resonating in my mind the whole time before I fainted.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for reading that! I hope it was worth your time.

Sorry for the slow update. I just had so much to do. I had plans all week and I had to finish my summer reading books. YATTA! Thankfully all those are done and over with and I can get on with the updates.

Truthfully, I was about to update this two days ago, but something got caught up. I don't know if it's because school's going to start soon or something, but I felt like I needed the world to stop for a bit, but it just wouldn't. I was feeling a little bit out of there and I just needed to breathe for a while, you know? Don't you guys feel that too sometimes?

So how did you guys like the switch of views? It was kind of short, but if you guys think it's best to continue with both of their POVs, then I'll elaborate more on that. So please let me know!

Anyway, please review! Criticism much appreciated.


	6. Chapter 6: The Games and Cuts

**Author's Note:** Thanks so much for the follows and favorites! Ahh I'm getting so antsy, school started 4 days ago and I already had 2 tests and 1 assignment -.-' I have three more tests and 3 more assignments this week. Anyway I'm planning to write a bunch of chapters this weekend so that I could upload them during the school year. Oh and in this chapter, we're getting to see Lea's and Eric's POV on a lot of things. Anyway, here it is: the new chapter. Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Divergent.

* * *

Chapter Six: The Games and Cuts

 _It was a dark evening. Carl was asleep in his crib, but Mommy couldn't put me to sleep._

" _Shhhh Leanne. You don't want to wake up your little brother." My mother told me. I giggled and ran to his room. I watched my brother's chest fall and rise as he was sleeping. Mesmerized, I reached out my hand and rested it above his stomach. My hand was following the motion of his chest. Amazed, I turned to the door._

" _Look! Look at Carl's chest!" I exclaimed._

 _My father came rushing into the doorway. He saw me with my hand on Carl._

" _Come on, Leanne." He said. I walked out of the room as he shut the door._

" _Why does his chest do that?" I asked._

 _My father held my hand and led me to the living room, where I had left my mother._

" _He's breathing. Just like we are all are." He said._

 _Confused, I asked him more questions._

" _I'm not breathing. Why do we breathe?" I asked._

 _My father chuckled. Before he could reply, I saw my mom in the hallway._

" _Mama!" I said and ran to her. "Carl is breathing." I said._

 _My mother looked surprised and then she laughed. "I hope he is." She chuckled._

 _I didn't understand what was so funny. Before I could ask, we heard Carl cry in his room. He was awake._

 _My mom let go of me and ran to the room._

" _Carl, it's okay. Shhh… Mommy's here." I could hear her trying to calm down Carl. I looked at my father. I couldn't see his features, they were a blur._

" _Go on." He said and he pushed me towards Carl's room. I steadily made my way there._

 _I peeked into the room and saw my two-year-old brother crying against my mother. He didn't know how to speak yet._

 _I walked up to him. "Carl." I said. He stopped crying and eyed me. I pointed at my chest and said "big sister." He giggled._

 _My mother smiled. "Leanne, honey." She said after me._

" _Le…le…Lan." He managed to say._

 _Surprised, my mother called my father to come._

" _He said it! He said his first word!" My mother cried._

 _Overjoyed, my father asked my mother what he said._

" _Leanne." I answered. They all looked at me and then at Carl._

" _Le…Lan!" He exclaimed._

"Lea! Lea!" I could hear someone call my name.

"Argh…" I grunted and sat up.

"Lea!" Kate said my name again and hugged me. I froze at her contact and relaxed, knowing that she was just relieved that I was awake.

I looked around to see everyone surrounding me. I untangled myself from Kate's hug and stood up.

"Well, do you need a moment or what?" I looked to Eric.

* * *

 **Eric's POV**

I stared as she tried to get the answers from Peter. She was aggressive, I could give you that. After Peter explained what was in today's newspaper, she looked blank for a moment, giving Four and the others enough time to pull her off of Peter. Everyone crowded around her and tried to get her attention but she was staring at something that wasn't there. Then she fainted.

As I made my way to the group, some of the initiates backed off and made some way for me to walk. We stared at her for a few moments. When she started to regain her consciousness, her friend, Kate, grabbed her into a hug. She looked confused for a moment before tensing up and relaxing in her friend's embrace.

"Well, do you need a moment or what?" I asked. I knew it sounded wrong, but it wasn't very dauntless to let your emotions get the best of her.

She looked to me and stared at me in the eyes. Her eyes used to be a shiny grey, but now, it was dull and blank.

"No." She said. She got up and dusted herself. She threw a glance at Peter who was already up and she made her way to him.

"You have everything wrong. My aunt didn't beat anyone." She said in a determined voice. She then shoved him backwards and walked away. Peter had his hands in the air, trying to mock her. But no one laughed.

"Get back to training initiates!" I shouted.

I listed more of the initiate's names after the incident.

* * *

This was the last match of the day.

"Christina and Molly." I said.

A tall brown girl made walked to the ring. Molly, the first fighter of the day with the Stiff, came too.

"You know what to do." I said. The two girls eyed each other before getting into their defensive stances, waiting for the other to attack. I could see the Stiff making her way to the ring. She was probably going to support her friend.

Christina hit first. Molly blocked her attack and pushed her to the ground, making Christina's head bounce on the mat. There was blood coming out of her nose. She coughed out some blood.

"Come on Christina." I could hear Tris trying to encourage her friend.

Molly looked towards me. I rolled my eyes.

"Finish it." I said for the thousandth time that day. Jeez, these initiates act like I'm going to change my mind. Just beat them unconscious already.

Christina looked up at me from her position on the ground.

"Stop! Stop, please. Stop!" She blocked her face with her hands.

Ready to hit her, Molly had her fists in the air.

"Wait." I said. They both turned towards me.

"Do you need this to stop for a bit?" I asked. Christina eagerly nodded.

"Okay guys. Training's over but I have something to show you guys." I said. The initiates came around the ring.

I helped Christina up and cleaned her bloody face for her.

"Come on." I led the group to the Chasm.

"Why are we at the Chasm?" I could hear someone ask. I ignored their questions.

"Are you feeling better now?" I asked Christina as I slid down my right hand along her back.

"Yeah. Yeah I think so." She said, leaning onto my body for more support.

"Great." I replied before holding onto one of her hands and throwing her off the ledge.

"Oh my god!" I could hear some shrieks behind me.

"Now, you're going to hold onto that ledge until I say so. If you can't then you're out of Dauntless. If you manage, I'll give you a second chance." I said. I could feel Christina tighten her grip on my hand.

"Or not." I said as I dropped her hand.

She desperately gabbed the railing and screamed. The water behind her was worsening it. She panted and cried.

* * *

I stared at her hands, they were about to slip.

"Time." I said. Two of her friends rushed over and pulled her out.

I looked at the scared crowd.

"We don't give up in Dauntless. We never give up. Let this lesson show you that weakness," I looked for Jean in the crowd, "is not an option." I finished. I scanned the crowd for any eyes, they were all avoiding mine.

My eyes came across Lea's for a moment who locked eyes with mine, but she looked different. Her eyes were still empty and dull, but ruthless. I didn't think much of it.

"Dismissed!" I said. Everyone scrambled to get away from me.

* * *

 **Lea's POV**

After the news about my brother, I fell into a spiral of depression. I found a newspaper in the infirmary, and began to read the front page. It showed a picture of a boy in a coma. _A lonely Coma,_ read the title.

 _It was late afternoon when Carl Courtney was declared missing and absent from school. It was later on in the evening that it was confirmed his unstable state. A nephew to Ariana Curtis and a brother to Leanne Courtney, Carl entered a coma on the 23_ _rd_ _of April, alone. After further research, Ariana was nowhere to be found which leads to the assumption of a beating. However, with Leanne at Dauntless, Carl faces the horror of dying if he does not regain consciousness in the upcoming week. Erudite leaders declare that Carl will die a lonely death without having to say any last words to his beloved sister. We wish him the best. –The Newspaper Faction Times_

I observed the picture closely. It was indeed Carl. I touched the ink on the paper and traced the picture.

"Hey, what's up?" Michael asked from behind me.

I dropped the newspaper onto the table and turned around meet his eyes. I couldn't find the words to tell him anything.

"Wanna catch dinner with me?" He asked. I nodded, my voice still hasn't returned.

We silently made our way to the cafeteria, which thankfully, was still crowded. We got a plate of food each and headed back to the infirmary to dine.

"I heard what happened." Michael said. I looked to him. Did he really?

"I'll prescribe some other medicine, and hope that you don't faint again." He said. I looked at him, surprised. He wasn't mentioning Carl's sudden coma but my fainting case earlier that afternoon.

I gulped my bite of sandwich.

"Have you had any headaches? Anything that you think would cause fainting?" He asked.

I coughed, hoping that my voice would work this time.

"I didn't get much sleep last night." I managed to say.

He understood. "The first few days are the toughest because you have to adjust being away from home. It was tough for me too, but you have to adjust. Try to get some sleep okay? Take those pills that I gave you last time." He said.

I nodded. He thought that I couldn't sleep because I was feeling uneasy or homesick. I thought back to last night. I had just learned about my brother's 'state.' Maybe he was different after all. But could it have been so dangerous that he was considered a threat? There wasn't a moment where I doubted Ari, and I wouldn't start now.

"Michael, I'm feeling a little tired, so I'm going to get a head start on my bedtime." I said.

"Sure. Come see me again if anything happens okay? Even if you just want to talk." He said.

I thanked him before leaving to the dorms.

* * *

The next day was ordinary. We got up, showered and resumed training. But Tris joined us in the later morning. She was getting up earlier to practice.

In the morning it was guns and knives and in the afternoon it was the one-on-ones.

"Lea and Molly." Eric said.

I calmly walked to the ring. I didn't get much rest last night, but I wasn't going to lose. From what I knew about Molly, she waited for the opponent to strike first, and used her weight and height as an advantage to hold them down and then knock them out. I watched her do it to Tris and Christina, but I wasn't going to let her get the best of me.

I saw Peter make his way around the mat, standing beside Eric. He was smirking.

"Go." Eric said.

I focused on my opponent. We circled around each other. "Come on." Eric said impatiently.

Molly eyed me. She was challenging me to attack first, so I did. I went for her legs, but when I did, I backed away and elbowed her head just in time for when she dove for my body. She fell onto the mat, but picked herself up. She wiped the blood from her mouth, and glared at me. Using her distraction to my advantage, I kicked her head to the side, but she caught my leg and pushed me to the floor. But before she could get on top of me, I flipped onto my stomach and threw her off. She was on all fours, facing the other direction. I came up behind her, stepped on her, and viciously knocked her out.

Peter scrambled to help her up and bring her to the infirmary.

"No wait. I can still go." She said when she regained her consciousness.

I looked to Eric. He shook his head and pointed to the table of names. Molly's had dropped to 4th place. Mine rose to third place. Upset, Molly lunged towards me. I side-stepped her attack and left her to fall on her own. No one was going to pull me down with them.

* * *

 **Eric's POV**

I watched her as she took down her opponent. She didn't apologize this time. She didn't even hesitate. After Molly tried to attack her, she avoided her attack and left to the punching bags. When I called Kate to the ring, she didn't come to support her friend. When her friend fell unconscious, she didn't even flinch.

I observed the rest of the fights with the attention span of a five-year-old. They were so boring.

"Peter, Edward." I said.

I watched the two interact. Peter reminded me of myself during my own initiation. He showed plenty of potential, but he wasn't putting it in the right place.

Edward was smart and precise. He managed to deliver a few blows to Peter. Edward came first in the chart so far, and Peter second. I wondered who would be number one after this fight.

"Four!" I called out. He came jogging and looked at the situation. He picked up the unconscious Peter and left.

"Eddy!" Myra exclaimed while making her way to Edward.

She was happy that he was still number one.

"Anything for you, babe." He said and kissed her. Ugh. Teenagers and their hormones.

I could see Molly on the bench with an ice-pack to her head. She growled after watching Peter and Edward's fight.

"Dinner time." I said.

* * *

 **Lea's POV**

After dinner, I headed to the infirmary. I saw Jean there, waiting for Kate. I don't think Kate will make it past initiation, but I hope that Jean could make it.

Exasperated, I quickly headed back to the dorms. I was so tired of caring for people. _Carl. He's in a coma._ I thought to myself. That thought alone should've made me feel something. Sadness or anger. But I kept on feeling nothing. Empty and blank. Did my emotional side of my brain just shut down? Whatever, it was probably for the best. I needed to make it through initiation.

I awoke to the sounds of laughter.

"Shhh… Quiet it down a bit, I think Lea is asleep." I could hear Will say. The group calmed down a bit and I could hear some shuffling from the other side of the room. They were discussing their new tattoos and haircuts that they just got.

"Hey, do you think Lea's alright?" Al asked.

There was a prolonged silence before the next question came. "Well for starters, I don't think every Abnegation family beats their children." Tris hissed.

The group murmured in approval. Peter was always trying to convince the others that Abnegation parents were crazy people who beat their kid. What did he know? It was only one family, Marcus, who beat his son, and that isn't even proven.

There was some more chatter before there were some more shuffling and everyone got into their beds.

The door opened to Peter and his loud and obnoxious friends. When they finally got settled in, the door opened a while after and I peeked out from under my cover.

It was Kate and Jean. They quietly separated and got into their beds without using the washroom.

"Kate…?" I whispered. It startled her.

"Get your rest Lea. You need it." She spared me a sad smile.

I got up and searched in my bag for those sleeping pills. I offered some to Kate who refused.

"Hey." She whispered.

I looked at her as I tucked myself into my bed again.

"I don't think I'll make it…you know, to dauntless?" Kate said.

I didn't know what to say. Was I supposed to encourage her? But then I would be a bad friend for giving her false hope.

"Jean was there when I woke up from the hospital." She started. "And he promised that we were in this together, whatever it was. He said that if I go factionless, he'll follow me." She said. "I don't want to be selfish, but I don't want to be lonely either." I could imagine the tears falling on her face. "Anyway, let's go get those tattoos before I leave, okay?" Her voice started to crack.

I nodded and listened to her cry herself to sleep.

* * *

I woke up that morning feeling well rested. I yawned and outstretched my arms. The time read 6:17AM. Gosh I was early. I looked over to see Kate still sound asleep. I didn't want to wake her yet, she looked like she needed the rest. I got up first and headed to the showers alone.

Thankfully, my shower went perfectly. I rested on my bed and waited for 7:00AM to strike. I woke up Kate to take her shower. After she had finished, Tris returned to wake up Christina to take their showers. Meanwhile, Kate and I went to catch breakfast first.

We headed to the Pit and got some muffins and bacons. I looked at her as she ate her food.

"Kate, let's go get our tattoos tonight." I said. She nodded her head silently. There was barely any conversation between us.

We joined the others at the training area when we all finished eating breakfast.

"We're doing laps today for the morning. This afternoon's matches will be your last, so be prepared." Four said.

We ran 24 laps that day, so 1 mile. After finishing the laps, Four pushed us to use the punching bags for the remaining time until lunch.

I turned to Kate. She didn't make any comments during the run.

"Well I'm glad that I'm not on my period anymore." I said.

Surprised, Kate turned to me, and laughed. Seeing her laugh almost lifted my spirits. _Carl._ I was forgetting him again…

"Awww I just got mine this morning!" Christina complained.

Tris didn't pay us any attention and kept on practicing. She was still under the red line, like Kate was. Seeing this, Kate started to go harder on the punching bag. I shared a look with Christina, but she just shook her head, we were both above the line.

* * *

 **Eric's POV**

I oversaw some of their training. They ran most the morning, so I headed to the dauntless-born and watched them shoot mannequins.

"Hey! Eric." I turned around and saw Zeke. He was my friend during our initiation process.

"Hey, how've you been?" I asked.

"Good. You know same old." He smiled. We watched them shoot for a little longer before heading the Pit to catch the earlier lunch.

"My brother's a part of the initiation." He said.

I nodded. Uriah. He was talented, just like Zeke.

"I know he's going to make it." He added.

We talked about life at Dauntless for a little longer before we saw the initiates join us for lunch. Time to go.

"Well I should get going." I said.

"See you later man." We shook hands and I left to prepare for tonight.

* * *

 **Lea's POV**

We headed back to the training area after lunch. The air was thick. Everyone was so tense. This would be some people's final chance at making it into Dauntless, and others would have to fight to keep their places.

"First up, Peter and Tris." There was a silence before Peter got on the mat. I could see Four whisper something to Tris before she got on the mat.

"Go." Eric said. Tris looked down at Peter's feet for most of the fight. I recognized it too after seeing Tris watch his feet. Peter always took a step forward when he was about to punch. But I guess Tris was too caught up on staring at his feet that she didn't see his arm connect with her face. She was knocked out cold.

Just before Eric could call for Four, Four quickly left the room. Eric rolled his eyes and looked at the bottom of his list.

"Edward, bring Tris to the infirmary." He said.

Edward quickly got to Tris and carried her to the medical ward.

"She's out." Eric stated.

The atmosphere seemed to have thicken. Tris was gone.

"Next up, Lea and Jean." I looked to the chart. Jean was close to the bottom of the list, but not quite at the border line.

I walked onto the mat and eyed Jean. I've watched him fought once. He was smaller than me, so he could get in my attacks and create one of his owns. I couldn't let him get too close to me. His hits weren't hard, but he threw a lot of them, so that made up for it.

We circled each other on the mat for a while before he charged in first. I side-stepped his lunge, but he caught onto my leg and pulled me down. I heeled his arm to release his grip from my leg. He let go of it immediately and held onto his bruised arm. We both got up and settled onto out defensive stances again. I looked into his eyes. They were determined, and kind. I knew he didn't want to hurt me or anyone else for that matter, but he had to do what he did to survive.

I caught a glimpse of my brother's smiling face in Jean's before he charged at me. I was left defenseless and he brought me down onto the ground. Snapping out of my thoughts, I pushed him off and held him down with both of my arms. He struggled to escape from my grasp, but I searched his face, trying to see my brother again. I couldn't.

Desperately, I searched his face again. Jean looked panic, then his eyes settled and he tensed his body that was in my grasp. Where was my brother? _In the hospital, dying._

A wet tear dripped down my cheek and onto Jean's face. He looked surprised. I was shocked. I immediately let go of him and backed away, wiping off my tears. But during my mini breakdown, he didn't charge at me.

"I… I concede." I said. I didn't turn to see Eric's reaction or anyone else's. I just focused on Jean and his eyes. And for a small moment, I could see my brother's smiling face again. His chubby cheeks and his teeth less smile. _Lan! Lan!_ I could almost hear him call me again. I got off of the mats and stared at the ground. But that was my imagination, he wasn't actually here.

Kate approached me, but didn't make a comment. For a moment, I thought time had frozen.

"Kate and Myra." I heard Eric's voice go off.

I couldn't look up and meet his eyes. I didn't care if I made it into Dauntless at all. I was going to go see my brother again. I shed a few more tears, but wiped them dry afterwards.

* * *

"Come on, let's go get those tattoos." I told Kate after dinner.

She smiled at me, but I knew it was a forced one.

We quietly walked to the tattoo parlor in silence, with her leading the way.

"Where are you?" I asked.

"Just under the red line." She replied.

"You're still fourth and Jean dropped a little bit, but he's still above the red line." She said after another moment of silence.

We finally reached the tattoo parlor.

"Any ideas?" I asked her. She shook her head. We would have to browse.

"Want to get matching tattoos?" I heard another voice behind us.

It was Jean. He was looking at Kate. She brightened when she saw him. "Sure!" She exclaimed.

I sighed. How was I going to compete with him? He asked one question and it made her happy. I asked her two and it wasn't enough.

"Wanna join us?" She asked me. I shook my head.

"Okay then, see you around." She said.

I got it, Kate was in love with Jean and vice-versa, but seriously, if they were going to stay together with the factionless for the rest of their lives, couldn't she spend her last night with me? Maybe she just really needed a friend with her right now and I couldn't be that friend.

I saw my supervisor from the aptitude test working behind a counter, and doing a quick retouching of someone's tattoo. She caught my eye and looked away. Huh. Maybe she didn't recognize me.

I searched for a tattoo, but couldn't find one. I gave up and headed to the hairdresser instead.

"Kate, I'm going!" I told her. She showed me the thumbs up before disappearing behind a curtain with Jean to get their matching tattoos.

"Hi, how can I help you?" a man asked me. I looked at him. He had red eyes, most likely contacts, and pink hair.

"A haircut." I said.

He looked at me and then laughed.

"So, name?" He asked as he led me to a free chair.

"Lea." I answered.

"I love that name! Did you choose it?" He asked.

I nodded as he draped a black cloth on me.

"Well I'm Raf." He said. "And I'm gay." He declared.

I nodded. I didn't have anything against gays. I supported it, but it wasn't a big matter to me. It's their life, not mine.

"So what kind of haircut would you like?" He said.

He grabbed a chunk of my wavy hair and massaged some water into it.

"Off. I want it off, and short." I said.

He looked surprise.

"Whatever you say." He said and started to get on with the job.

"So, what do you think?" He asked me.

I turned to see my reflection. Shoulder length, bob, and bangs. It was nice, but different. I liked it.

"I like it." I said and smiled to Raf through the mirror. He smiled back at my reflection.

* * *

I woke up to some flashlights and alarms.

"Get up!" I heard Four scream. Was this some kind of alarm?

"Get dressed and head to the Pit in 10." He said and left the room.

I grabbed a jacket and zipped it over my t-shirt and got some boots on.

"What's going on?" I heard Christina asked. No one had an answer for her.

We were in the Pit surrounded by more students dressed in the same combat outfits. Dauntless-born initiates, I guessed.

"We're heading out in 2, so get ready." Four said at the front. Everyone was confused as to what was going on.

I saw Christina and Will head to the infirmary. They were probably going to get Tris. I stayed where I was, with Kate.

"I'm still loving the new haircut." She said. I smiled. I elbowed her ribs, where she had gotten a matching tattoo with Jean. They both wouldn't tell or show me what it was.

We started piling on a train cart and I could see Christina and Will being pushed in. The train started moving before there was some noise in the back. Someone had just got on the train at the last minute.

It was Tris. I saw Will and Christina and Al talk with her.

"Who let you out?" Eric asked. The train silenced and all the attention was on her.

"Me. I let myself out." She said.

Eric raised one of his pierced eyebrows. He looked surprised, but arrogant.

"Oh? Okay then." Eric said without further comments.

"So here's the game, it's capture the flag. We divide you into two teams, Eric and I are the leaders, and we hide our flags and try to capture the other teams." Four explained.

They woke us up for a game? Were they serious?

"It's part of Dauntless traditions." Eric said. "However, there is a twist to this." He opened a table full of guns.

"These are fake guns, but they stimulate the pain of a real gun." He said.

Molly snorted and said a snarky comment before Eric shot her leg.

"Fuck!" She said and leaned against the train's wall.

"The pain lasts for about 2-3 minutes." He said.

"Let's start dividing up the teams." Four said.

"You first." Eric said. "Courtesy for last year's winner." Eric hissed.

Four smirked.

"I'll go with the Stiff." He said.

"Oh? Picking the weak ones so you'll have an excuse when you lose eh? Well, I choose Edward." Eric said.

The names went on for a short moment before I heard mine.

"Lea." It was Four. I walked to his side of the cart and stayed beside the crowd.

There was a nudge on my shoulder. I turned to see Uriah.

"Hey!" He said.

"Hi." I smiled back at him. He seemed to have grown taller.

Noticing the height difference also, Uriah put out a hand above his head and leveled it out. He was way taller than me.

"It's the boots." I said before walking away and trying to find another friend.

I was in the same team as Uriah and Jean. Luckily, I was booted to the defense of our team's flag. Tris and Four had hidden it among some rides, so I was nearby. It was Jean and I that were in charge to keep it secure.

It was quiet for a long time.

"Jean?" I whispered.

I knew he could hear me. I continued.

"Thanks." I said.

It was quiet for a long time. I could hear some footsteps fast approaching. I eyed the location of the flag, the intruders were being steady. I turned to see who it was, and aimed the gun. It was a tall male. I shot. It landed on his shoulder.

"Shit!" He grasped his shoulder and fell on his knees. He quickly scanned the area. He called out to his friends. Before they arrived, I knocked his head out. I looked down to see Al. He was knocked out cold.

I could hear footsteps heading our way. I signaled for Jean to stay down, just in case I needed a backup and he could ambush them.

There was a group of people, all being led by another male. He was muscularly built. I stayed down and waited for him to approach myself and Al. I aimed my gun to him, ready to shoot. Catching my slight movement, the leader turned towards me, ready to shoot.

We both shot when we heard cheering from far away. I collapsed on the floor holding onto my rib. Shit. I was hit. I turned to see my opponent. He looked fine as he swore and headed off. Jean was above me and helped me up. He guided me to the crowd, we had won. I backed away from him, able to support myself.

* * *

"Congrats!" People were clapping Tris on the back, she was smiling from ear to ear.

"Hey, wanna come with us?" I saw Uriah link his arm around her shoulders.

"Where?" Tris asked. Uriah smiled and winked flirtatiously towards her. She blushed and nodded, following the big crowd.

I looked to Jean.

"Thanks for back there." I said. He nodded. He didn't have much to say. I could see Kate in fron of us, searching. She was looking for us.

I turned to Jean. "Look, thanks for everything. Kate too. Thanks." I said. I don't even know if he understood what I was trying to get across. He didn't say anything. We walked in silence before Kate caught us.

"That was amazing!" She squealed. I gave her a weak smile. Jean smiled wholeheartedly towards her.

"Enjoy yourselves, because for some of you, this is your last night here at Dauntless and the rest are out!" Max said when we were gathered in the Pit. It was silent for a long time. Then there were some faint cheers, and it eventually got louder.

I excused myself from Jean and Kate, knowing that they wanted to be together. Still, I was feeling lonely. I sighed. I should take this time to think.

I headed to the table of refreshments and loaded myself with beer. I spat out a good amount after my first swallow. It tasted gross. But still, I refilled it and sipped at it occasionally.

I found Al and we stayed together for the most part. Will and Christina were there too, but they weren't with us. They were together, by themselves. There was a huge commotion at the entrance of the Pit. Tris and the others had returned.

Before coming to us, she headed to Four to chat.

"Gather up initiates!" Max shouted. He stood in front of the covered chart. We gathered up, Tris somewhere in the back. Eric lifted off the cloth from the chart and we all searched for our names.

Lea. My name came 6th place while being ranked with the Dauntless-born. I searched for Kate's name. She didn't make it. Jean made it. He was right before Tris. There were some murmurs, and sobs. Some people ran out, others followed.

The crowd seemed to thin out. "Lea." I turned to see Jean. He was holding hands with Kate.

"We're going." He said.

I looked to Kate. She looked pained.

"No. Jean you have to stay with Lea. She'll look after you. You deserve this. I'll figure it out." Kate said. Her voice was trembling and her body started to shake.

Jean embraced her tightly.

"What's your rank?" I asked. Kate sniffled and managed to croak out.

"Two places away from making it." She said.

I said my goodbyes to them before they left. Jean was still making up his mind, but I knew that he was going to follow Kate.

I searched the room some more. Most of the initiates went to get tattoos out of accomplishment and some went to pack.

But there was still a good amount of people left.

"So you made it." I heard Peter's voice to my left. I ignored him and headed to the refreshment's table to refill my cup of beer. I was starting to like it.

"I guess we'll see who really deserves to make it here in stage two." He cockily said when I ignored him.

I sipped at my beer and looked around, still ignoring his presence.

"Like Tris and what's her name? Kate. Ah. But Kate didn't make it." Peter said.

He was just pointing out the obvious. There was nothing to get angry about. I don't know if it was what he said next or if I was starting to get drunk, but I don't regret doing what I did next.

"Weaklings and failures don't have a place here. You know? You understand right? Like me and you. We're strong. But I'm stronger than you. Failures like Tris shouldn't have made it. At least Kate didn't." That was it.

I smashed my cup against his face, but he caught my wrist and twisted it. I yelled in agony. I lifted my leg and kicked his shin. He let go of me.

No one was trying to stop us.

"SHUT UP! YOU SHOULD LEARN TO SHUT THE FUCK UP SOMETIMES!" I yelled before I lunged towards his crumpled body again.

* * *

 **Eric's POV**

I watched the scene play out. She was blindly attacking him, making herself vulnerable, open and predictable. "JUST SHUT UP!" She yelled when Four pulled her back. She was causing a commotion. I looked at the chart. Lea, 6th place. Was she upset? Her friend Kate didn't even make it and here she is, making a scene of herself and not even helping her friend find solace?

I watched as Four hauled her to the dark infirmary. Micheal and Patty weren't in at night. She was heading to an empty place. Maybe she needed that.

Four returned and caught me staring at him. I didn't look away. I stared into him. Four. He was better than me during initiation. I sneered at his direction. Why wasn't he accepting any promotions? Why was he staying and working with the Intelligence department anyway? I eventually looked away and drank my cup of beer. Beer was amazing and dauntless parties were fun.

Something caught the corner of my eye but I didn't turn to look. A woman was walking towards me. If I remember correctly, she was one year my senior. She looked good. No, like, _real good._ Maybe it's because I haven't been laid in a while. I smiled flirtatiously at her before taking one last sip of my cup and making my way to my prey of the night.

* * *

 **Lea's POV**

I lay on the bed and stared up at the dark ceiling. No one was in the infirmary tonight. No wounded people. Just me and the empty beds.

I shivered. This room was giving me the creeps.

I snuck out of the room and headed towards the dorm without getting caught. I stopped at the door. I could hear crying and sobbing. _I guess a lot of people didn't make it._ I thought. I rested my hand against the door, ready to open it, but hesitated.

"It's okay Jean. I'm really fine." I could hear Kate's voice. I couldn't hear what Jean said next. I stood in front of the door, feeling conflicted.

"Are you gonna stay there all night? Or are you going to enter?" Someone asked me. I turned to see who it was and removed my hand from the door.

"No. I was just about to leave." I said to the owner of the voice. _Where?_ I asked myself. _Anywhere. Away from this._

"Really? Cause I've just been here staring at you touch that door for 3 minutes." He replied.

I shrugged. "I don't know where to go." I replied honestly. I could've gone to the chasm, but I didn't want to be reminded of my loneliness. I didn't want the water to wash the feelings that I still had.

"Follow me." He smiled.

I did.

* * *

He led us to a rooftop. It wasn't the one where we jumped or shot targets.

I leaned against the railing and inhaled a deep amount of air.

The wind blew on my face. Summer was on its way.

"You look peaceful." The guy said. He leaned against the railing too, on his elbow.

I looked at him.

"I wish I was." And it was the truth.

It was silent between us.

"I'm Lea by the way." I said out of nowhere.

"Zeke." He replied. "Nice fight you put up back there." He said.

I laughed. "I was just being pathetic." I said. That's what Eric described us as. _Pathetic initiates._ He was right.

He chuckled.

We ended up lying on the concrete rooftop and looking up at the night sky. There were barely any stars, but the moon was shining bright tonight.

"I like your eyes." He suddenly said.

I turned my head to face his. Our faces were inches away from each other. I could feel his breath against my face.

"It's like the silver moon." He said.

I didn't know what to say. I blushed and turned my head away, hoping that the night's darkness covered me well.

I coughed and acted as if I didn't hear that. "Well, I should, uh… Get going. You know. To sleep." I stuttered awkwardly.

I didn't see his face, but I knew that he was smirking.

"I'll walk you back and make sure that you actually go inside." He said. I didn't say anything as I quickly got up and dusted myself off.

"ZEKE! Come quick! There's been something!" The door to the rooftop slammed open. I looked to see a panicked Uriah.

"COME ON!" He yelled. Zeke ran past by me and I followed the two boys.

I caught up with them just in time to hear Uriah say something about Edward's eye being stabbed. Someone stabbed his eye? What the hell? I thought back to the chart and I remembered seeing his name being first, even among the dauntless-born initiates.

"I'll go get Patty. Michael's already there. You go get Eric. I have a feeling that it was planned." Uriah said before sprinting off. "See you later, shortie!" He managed to say to me as he ran off.

"Whatever!" I yelled back. Zeke looked at me.

"Let's go." He said. I sprinted after him.

* * *

He knocked furiously at a door. "Open up!" He said. When there was no answer, Zeke told me to stand back, ready to throw his body against the door when it suddenly opened. It was Eric and he was shirtless.

"WHAT." He hissed. His hair was messed up and he clearly had company over.

His abs were well defined and dear god. I was blushing. _Please, no nosebleed. I don't want a nosebleed. Just breathe and - LEA! Look away, stop staring. Oh my gosh. Stop staring._ I was blushing madly. Even if I wasn't born in Abnegation, I sure as hell was raised up as one.

Zeke… smirked. Oh gosh. I was going to witness this guy's death and I just met him. I'll be the number one suspect.

"Incident." He said.

"What?!" Eric hissed, wanting a clearer explanation.

"Number one's initiate got stabbed in the eye." He explained, still smirking.

Eric looked breathless.

"What. The. Fuck. Do. You. Want. Me. To Do." He said. He was angry, really angry.

But Zeke was still smiling. Oh god, he wasn't a masochist was he? Or worst yet, suicidal?

"They have a feeling it was planned." Zeke said, his exterior suddenly becoming serious.

Recognizing his change of facial expression, Eric calmly replied.

"I can't do anything about it, or at least, for now. If he chooses to leave, then be it. But if he wants to stay, he'll have to deal with it himself." Eric said.

Wait, Edward was leaving? But he was ranked at the top! Before I knew it, I blurted out my thoughts.

"Edward can't leave! He's at the top right now!" I said.

Finally recognizing my presence, both of the guys looked at me.

"No one stays at the top forever." Eric said.

I stared into his angry eyes. I could feel Zeke's gaze pierce my body as I heard some noise behind Eric.

"Eric… Are you coming back to bed?" The voice was soft and wanting.

Eric ignored his company and continued to stare at me.

"Eric, baby, come on." The woman came to the door and rubbed Eric's smooth arm muscles. "Let's go." The girl turned to me.

"Yeah, let's go." Eric said, breaking our eye contact.

But just before he closed the door, I spoke up.

"Watch me." I said just when Zeke pulled me away from Eric's door.

Our eyes met again that day, and I was determined to prove him wrong. I was going to reach and stay at the top.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Ahh I'm so sorry for the long update. I hope this long chapter made up for it. The chapters keep on getting longer and longer each time :P It's now ~7,700 words. Woahhh. Hahahaha I enjoyed writing that for you guys and I hope you guys enjoyed reading it too!

I honestly think that the pacing of this story is too slow, and at the same time, too fast. But I hope it gets better and that Eric stays in character. I don't want my character to be overpowered either :/

I just finished my written homework. Its labor day tomorrow, and that means the day off! Whooohooo! If I'm able to study everything by tomorrow, I'll get started on the next chapter and hopefully finish it ASAP so I can post it for you guys.

But until then, wish me luck at school (who knows that I'll need everything that I can get), and please review! Thanks :) Criticism much appreciated!

Oh and please note that none of the chapters have been betaED so if there are any mistakes, please let me know!

Thanks again!

-Angel


	7. Chapter 7: Eric

**Author's Note:** Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Divergent.

* * *

Chapter Seven: Eric

I returned to the dorms after the encounter with Eric. Zeke escorted me there before leaving. I entered the room to see a crowd over a bloodied body, where Edward was in the center unconscious. Myra was by his side breaking apart.

"Could you believe it?" I heard some murmurs around me.

"Who would have done such a thing?" Another person whispered.

I watched as Pat and Michael treated Edward and the mess. I headed to my bed and tried and ignored the crowd. I already had my own problems to deal with.

* * *

I slept in with most of the initiates this morning.

"I can't believe it. I don't how I should feel about it." I heard Kate mumble.

"It's selfish, but I'm glad you're still here. That matters most." I heard Jean reply back.

I groggily yawned and sat up.

"Good morning Lea!" Kate greeted me.

"Hn." I replied.

Before they could say anything, I got up and headed to the showers. I took one last glance before closing the curtain. Almost everyone was still asleep, well the ones that were initiates now.

It was late by the time I got food, so I could only salvage myself a cup of orange juice and yogurt. Better than nothing. After my shower, I had been informed that Myra and Edward had left Dauntless, scared for Edward's safety. They were faction-less right now. In their stead, Kate and some other initiate from the dauntless-born had made it. I was glad for Kate, but somewhat sad about the couples' departure, even if I hadn't known them much.

"All initiates, report to the training room in 10 minutes." Max, a dauntless leader boomed.

* * *

"Alright initiates. You all made it this far, but there's no time to celebrate." Eric said. "As you know, that was only the first stage of training." He continued.

"I will be the one to administer you during the second stage of training." Four took over. "This stage consists of testing your mental capabilities. You have to get your fears before they get to you." He said.

"When does this training start?" Al asked.

"Tomorrow." Four replied.

* * *

"Tris." Four opened the white door.

Tris wiped her sweaty palms on her pants before leaving. The door shut closed behind them. I looked around the room. There were only a few initiates left. After Molly was dragged out of the room, the atmosphere became tenser. Just how bad was it? What were my fears?

"Apparently, you only get to experience one fear a day." Will spoke up. "Sometimes you don't even get to try facing all of your fears because you have so many. In stage two is where they lose more than half of the initiates." He finished.

Everyone stole a glance towards him. We were all anxious to see what our fears were.

* * *

It was raining and I was cold. Yet, I kept still under the dark of night. I was crying under the rain. I screamed, my cries being muffled by the rain hitting the ground. I screamed until I was drowning in my tears and the rain. Then I saw it. A streak of lightning.

I froze, paralyzed by my fear. _Run!_ My thoughts screamed at me to move. I looked at my legs. They were trembling like my heart. _RUN!_ I screamed at my legs. They were shaking from the cold, not my fear. I kept on trying to convince myself that the lightning would stop, only to see it move closer. It's closing in on me. I have to get shelter.

My body was seized with a certain adrenaline and I ran. I splashed my clothes and I ran. Finally recognizing my surroundings, it was Abnegation. I ran and ran until I got to a familiar place. The school. I ran to the doors, but they were locked. I turned around, ready to find another place to take shelter when a lightning struck someplace close to me. _The next strike is going to be me._ I thought. I was starting to freeze up again. Out of fear, I shut my eyes closed, willing for everything to go away.

 _Get your fears before they get you._ Four's voice reminded me. My eyes snapped open, just in time to see a lightning strike me.

* * *

I woke up startled.

"Calm down, calm down." Four was holding me down.

My eyes scanned the room. I was in the examination room. I caught my breath and calmed down.

"Good job back there." Four said. "5 minutes and 28 seconds. Not bad for a beginner, but it only gets worst from here." He said.

I nodded, unable to find my voice.

"Can you get up by yourself? Or do you need help?" He asked.

I tried to get up, albeit pretty shakily but made my way out safely. I walked by everyone, with their intent stares on me. I didn't look at anyone.

I was in the training room, running laps. I saw Molly and another dauntless-born training too. _Next time, my fears won't get me. I won't be paralyzed by it anymore._ I thought to myself as I sprinted a few more laps.

I was drenched with sweat when dinnertime came around. I wasn't hungry yet, and it wasn't like we had anything else to do for the day, so I decided to kick a dummy around.

I punched and kicked it. I was upset with myself. I let one of my fears stop me. What were my other ones? I punched the dummy harder. I know I'm bound to see Jean in there sometime. I shoved the dummy aside with the most force that I could muster. Just as I was about to beat it some more, it swung to my face, knocking me down.

I lay on the mat for a few minutes. The sweat was burning my face and my chest was heaving up and down, trying to get some air.

"Need some help there?" Someone asked me. I twisted my face to look up, it was Uriah and Zeke. I stayed there, looking up at them for a few moments before sitting up.

"How were your fears?" Uriah asked me. I shrugged. I didn't have anything to say. He laughed.

"You know, I came here beating the crap out of dummies too after experiencing my first fear." Zeke said. "It gets better." He said.

Uriah smiled, his teeth were still dazzling. I smiled back.

"You eat yet?" Uriah asked. I shook my head.

"Let's go then." He said. I headed to the cafeteria with the boys.

* * *

Uriah had already eaten, but he was willing to stay with me, even though I was gross and smelly.

"Here!" Zeke waved his hand to a table. We headed there and sat with Zeke and his friends.

"Hey Uriah!" Some people greeted him and patted his back. "How's the initiation?" They asked. He shrugged and laughed.

I drank some water before I started on my meal.

"So you're Lea right?" A boy asked me. I nodded.

"Oh! You're the one who fainted right? Like during the ceremony." Another person asked.

"Yup, that's me." I said. They laughed.

"Well I'm Domenic, but you can call me Dom." He said. I smiled.

"I'm Connor." The second boy said. I smiled to him, popping a vegetable into my mouth.

"So, how do you like it here?" Connor asked.

"It's good." I said. "Even if it seems like everyone wants to kill the initiates or something." I said.

They laughed and I laughed with them.

"Yo! Eric, over here!" Zeke motioned for him to approach. I turned my head to see him gather a plate full of food and make his way over to the table. He sat down and started chewing on a piece of meat before looking at everyone on the table and seeing me.

"What's with everyone eating so late?" Dom asked.

"Training." I said at the same time as Eric. I looked over to him and saw that he was sweating too.

"You dauntless over-achievers. Stage one is over for you," Connor said to me, "and initiation is over for you." He said to Eric.

Eric shrugged before digging into the rest of his food.

The guys got into a conversation about some new project that was going to happen, but I was disinterested so I kept to myself.

"So, what are you thinking of doing later?" Uriah asked me.

"I don't know." I said. I was thinking of visiting my brother, but I couldn't just sneak out.

"Want to come with me to the tattoo parlor? I have to renew mine." He said.

"Sure." I said. Why not? Maybe I can pick out my tattoo also.

* * *

I headed to the dorms to shower before catching up with Uriah.

"Hey, Lea!" Someone called after me. I turned around to see Kate and Jean.

"Hi guys." I said.

"Where were you? We were worried." Kate said.

"I was training. Don't want to start getting rusty even after stage one is over, you know?" I said.

"Yeah. But how was your fear?" She asked.

"Okay." I replied.

"Did you know? Jean finished it in 3 minutes. He was one minute short from Tris' time!" She said enthusiastically. Surprised, I looked to Jean. He looked shy.

"Congrats!" I said.

"Yeah, thanks." He said.

"Well, I better get going; I'm meeting a friend at the tattoo parlor later." I said.

We departed and I went to meet Uriah.

"Hey!" Uriah said.

I sat at a nearby chair and watched as the tattooist re-inked Uriah's tattoo. He was shirtless and I could see his tattoo on his shoulder. His body was muscular and tanned.

"Like what you see?" He asked.

I blushed profusely before looking away. He chuckled. "So any ideas on your tattoo?" He asked.

"No, not yet." I said, still looking away.

"Well you've still got some time." He said. I smiled.

After he got his tattoo re-inked, we walked around the campus for a while. We chose to sit near the chasm for a while. It was quiet between us, with only the sound of rushing water.

"What happens after initiation?" I asked.

"We settle. We get a job protecting the factions and we serve the community." Uriah said.

It was quiet once again between us.

"My brother, he-" I tried saying, but I stopped myself.

"Your brother? What about him?" He asked.

I shook my head. "Nah, it's nothing." I said.

"Do you know what divergents are?" I asked after a few more moments.

"Yeah. Erudites are searching them out." He said.

"Yeah, but what do you think about them?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Nothing to think about. It's not real." He said with a certain edge in his voice.

It was quiet after that. But Uriah, sensing the tension, tried to make conversation.

"I like the new hair." He said.

He caressed my head a bit, my hair falling on my shoulders. "It suits you." He smiled.

I blushed and looked away, hearing him chuckle again.

* * *

I awoke that night from a nightmare. I was breathing heavily. I tried to calm myself down by taking some sleeping pills, but it didn't work.

"Hey… Lea. You alright?" Kate whispered, starting to sit up from her bed.

"Yea, I'm fine. Go back to sleep." I said. She didn't need to be told twice, her head hit the pillow immediately and she was sound asleep.

I walked back to the chasm, hoping to find some sort of calamity over my racing heart. I don't recall what my nightmare was about, but I was still shaking from it.

"GET HER!" Someone cried. Alarmed, I stood up, waiting from an attack, but none came.

"Stop! Help , help!" I heard a girl cry. I ran, trying to search for the source of the voice. I turned a corner from the chasm and saw three men dressed in black trying to pushed someone off the chasm.

"Stop!" I screamed, and ran to them. A boy turned on me, and pushed me aside. I got back up, only to be pushed back down. During my struggle, I could see the falling girl, it was Tris.

"TRIS!" I screamed, but she was distracted. She pulled a mask off the person's face, and saw a friend. It was Al.

I was about to scream some more when a hand clamped over my mouth. Struggling, I tried to scratch the person. I could feel my eyes start to tear up. I was going to die with Tris here. The attacker yanked my hair along with my head and smashed it on the ground. My vision was blurry, but I could see help coming for Tris.

Tris. I hope she was fine.

Then my vision blanked and I fell unconscious.

* * *

I woke up feeling sore. I sat up, my head pounding.

"Are you finally awake?" Someone asked.

"Yea…" I said, my eyes were still shut and I was massaging my temples.

When my headache started to calm, I opened my eyes to a still dark room and searched for the owner of it.

"Hello…?" I called out.

"I'm in here." The voice said. Eric came out of the washroom holding some damp towels.

"Put these over your head. They'll help." He said.

"Thanks." I said as I took them.

"So what happened over there?" He asked.

He approached me, and kneeled on the ground, making us almost at eye-level with one another. His face was close to mine. I could feel his breath on my face. I stared into his deep clear blue eyes and I had a feeling he already knew.

I remembered. Tris. I wondered if she was alright.

"I don't know." I gulped, worried that I was going to be caught in my lie.

There was a sharp glint in his eyes. "What were you doing at the chasm?" He asked.

"I heard someone call for help." I said.

He rose one of his eyebrows. "So when someone is calling for help, you go? You don't even bother trying to get help?" He asked.

* * *

 **Eric's POV**

"I am the help." She replied. Surprised by her answer, I laughed manically.

"So, you think you're helpful?" I asked.

She seemed to have tensed up.

"Do you realize what you just said?" I said, a little more seriously.

"When you were busy playing hero, you didn't realize that there was a chance that you could die." I said, dead serious when she was quiet.

She stared at me. I stared into her grey eyes. There was an intense fire in them.

"I don't have any intention of standing and hear someone die knowing that I could've helped." She retorted.

Pissed off, I blew up at her.

"You didn't help anyone! Do you understand? YOU were the one who needed saving." I said.

"Well what did you expect me to do?" She screamed back at me.

"Survive." I said much more calmly.

She looked confused.

"If someone had died, you would have had one less of a competitor." I explained.

Angry, she turned away.

I chuckled. Distracted from this, Lea took her chance to seize me by surprise.

There was a slap across my face.

I put my hand over where she had slapped it. I looked up at her.

"I don't care if I had one less of a competitor. If I was brave, I'd know that I could make it even if there were ten more competitors!" She blurted.

I was astonished. "No, you're not being brave, you're being arrogant." I said. "You think this is some sort of game don't you?" I said. I leaned closer to her. "Now that they know your face and you know their's, they're not only after you, but they want to take you down along with their secret." I said.

"So what you're trying to tell me is to leave someone and watch them die? Just for the sake of surviving?" She asked.

"Yeah." I said.

Her stare was hardening, as if she was trying to keep herself from crying.

"Training for stage two is cancelled today, so stay here and rest up." I said as I walked to my closet.

I chose to wear a jacket over the tank that I had on. I yawned, feeling a little tired.

"Are you tired?" She asked, seeing me yawn.

"No." I said. I put on my jacket. "Stay here, I'll go get breakfast." I said.

* * *

 **Lea's POV**

He left me in his room. I curled up against the pillows on the bed. I don't know what I was doing here or how I ended up here. I wanted to cry. I wanted to get out of here and go home. I wanted to see Ari and Carl again.

I had no idea how I had ended up here, or why Eric was being mean. I just tried to save someone. Why did he bring me here? Why not at the medical bay? Or leave me there to die? It would've been one less of a competitor if I were gone, non?

After a few moments, I looked up from my position and observed the room. It was plain. The bed was big. I passed my hand over the sheets. I gathered the blankets and covered myself in them. Had I slept here the entire night? Where did Eric sleep?

"Are you cold?" Eric asked. Startled by his appearance, I jumped. When did he get back? I didn't even hear the door open.

He gave me a questioning look after setting a bowl of soup on the bedside table.

Instead of answering, I shook my head.

"Did you see who it was?" He asked.

"No." I lied.

He stared at me as I ate.

"Did you eat yet?" I asked.

He nodded, and got up to get a sweater from his closet. He threw it to me.

It landed next to me. I picked it up after putting away the bowl of soup.

"But my clothes are fine." I said.

"It's cold." He said.

I shrugged. I wasn't going to ignore his act of kindness. Maybe this was his way of apologizing?

I put my arms through the sleeve holes and my head last. It was huge, but it was comfortable and gave me warmth immediately. I caught a whiff of his smell when I wore the hoodie.

I inhaled the smell of the hoodie. "Ah..." I said. It smelled nice.

Realizing that it was silent in the room, I stole a glance to Eric. He was giving me a weird look.

"I… uh… I… it smells nice." I stammered.

He looked at me weirdly before chuckling and heading into the bathroom. Not a few moments later, I heard the water from the shower head running.

Gosh, that was awkward. I got up and stretched. The hoodie reached my thighs and the sleeves were large. I smelled it again, it smelled clean and fresh. Eric probably had good hygiene.

I caught the sight of a newspaper on the table. Paddling across the room, I took it and read it through. I stopped after a moment.

 _Pulling the plug?_ The title read.

 _Jeanine Matthews, Erudite leader, insists on pulling the plug and ending Carl's life. Further information is disclosed._ It read. It had no pictures. Upset, I tightened my grip on the paper. "Further information is disclosed." What the hell did they mean by that? They might as well not even publish this. What were they trying to do?

Caught up in my thoughts, I was unaware of Eric's presence behind me.

"Is he your brother?" He asked.

Surprised, I turned around and clenched the paper harder and hiding it behind my back.

He had already seen it.

"Yea." I said sadly, looking down.

Eric was drying his hair. And looking down at me.

It was silent for a while.

"Well, thanks for the stay, but I don't want to bother you anymore, so I guess I'll get going." I said, trying to leave.

He grabbed onto my arm and pulled me back. "Stay here. There's nothing to do today." He said.

I shook his arm away from me and headed for the door.

"I'm going to go train." I said.

* * *

"Don't you have anywhere to be right now?" I asked, annoyed.

"No." Eric replied.

I don't know why he insisted on coming to watch me train.

I went to the running track first. I stretched a little before jogging. He jogged right beside me the entire time.

When I was beginning to get tired, I willed myself to sprint the last 3 laps. Finally, for the cool down, I walked 5 laps. Eric was still with me.

Next I went for the knives. I held one up and flicked my wrist. Eric stood and watched me. I aimed and hit the spot. It was right-on, like always.

Suddenly, Eric went in my way and stood in front of the target. "Go ahead." He said.

I stared at him. He wasn't serious, was he? I looked around the room.

"Searching for any witnesses in case you murder me?" He asked.

"Exactly." I replied.

He smirked. "Well go ahead, what are you waiting for?" He demanded.

I took a knife and steadied me hand.

"What, afraid that you're gonna hit me?" He quirked.

I stared at his still figure, and flicked my wrist. It landed right under his hand.

"Close one." He said. He didn't even flinch.

Annoyed, I dropped the knives and headed to the punching bags.

He followed, without any further comments.

"HEY! Eric!" Zeke came around. I stopped to look at him.

"Hey." He said.

"Hi." I smiled.

"Eric, they need you. What are you doing here?" Zeke switched his attention on me to Eric.

"I'm coming." He said.

Zeke left us. Eric watched me hit the punching bag for a while before leaving for good.

* * *

I headed to the infirmary when Eric was gone.

"Hi Michael." I said when I opened the door.

"Hey!" He said and came over. "What's up?" He asked.

"I'm looking for Tris." I said.

Confused, he looked at me. "What happened to her? Did something happen?" He asked.

Trying to cover my surprise, I shook my head. "Nevermind." I said.

I said my farewells, eager to leave. I needed to find Tris.

"Have you guys seen Tris?" I asked.

"No, she's been gone since yesterday." Christina said.

"But I think she's fine." Will said.

Did anyone know what happened?

Seeing my panic, the couple questioned me. "Did something happen to her?" they asked.

Before I could reply, I saw Al from the corner of my eye. I ran to him and slammed him against a wall. I grabbed his collar.

"TELL ME WHERE THE HELL SHE IS YOU LITTLE FREAKING - " I was pulled back.

"What the hell Lea? What the hell has gotten into you?" Christina asked.

I stared at Al, waiting for my answer.

"I don't know." He replied.

"What do you mean you don't know?" I asked.

"I mean, I don't know." Al said.

"WELL THEN WHO DOES HUH, AL? WHO KNOWS?" I screamed at him. Where the hell was Tris?

Sensing my frustration, Christina willed me to calm down by letting him leave.

"Don't!" But despite my protests of Al leaving, they didn't care.

We headed to the cafeteria in silence after that. No one asked about me.

It was quiet between the three of us. Then Kate and Jean joined us, and sensing the tense atmosphere, left.

Suddenly, Tris appeared next to me.

"Tris! You're here!" Christina said.

"Yeah." She smiled.

"You know, you would think we missed you, but Lea over here went crazy missing you." He said, trying to lighten up the mood.

Tris turned to me, ready to say something.

"Hey, Tris." Al appeared behind her.

Tris quickly swapped his hand away and stood up to face him.

"Don't ever touch me again. I don't ever want to see you again." Tris spat out.

Al, hurt, retracted his figure, apologized and left.

Tris burst into tears after Al left and fell onto Christina crying.

* * *

News of Al's suicide soon spread and made everyone wonder why. Hadn't he passed the first stage of initiation?

I couldn't find Tris anywhere after hearing the news. I would want to be alone too, if I were the cause of his death. I didn't try to find Tris after that, even though there was a feeling in me that told me that there was still two other people after her.

I decided to take a breather and headed to the roof.

It was empty when I arrived. I went to stand near the ledge and look over the lighted city. I breathed the night air and tried to calm down.

"You're not going to jump too, are you?" A voice asked.

What is it with everyone? I just wanted some time alone.

"No. But I might after initiation." I said.

The person chuckled.

"So do you come here now too? To think?" The voice questioned.

"Yeah, kind of." I turned to see Zeke.

We stared at the night sky.

"There's a shooting star there! Make a wish!" I said.

I shut my eyes tightly and put my hands together, as if I'm praying to a god.

After I was done, I opened my eyes and looked to Zeke. He was staring at me.

"So what did you wish for?" He asked.

I smiled. "If I tell, then it won't come true." I said.

"What are you kids doing up here? It's past your bedtime, initiate." Four said.

I turned around.

"See you later." I waved to Zeke as I left the roof.

* * *

I was heading to the dorms when I saw Tris heading there herself.

I was about to call for her when I saw that she turn an abrupt turn. She wasn't heading to the dorms?

I hid myself against the wall, ready to follow her, until I heard another voice behind me.

"What are you doing initiate?" I turned to see Eric.

"I was about to head to the dorms." I said.

He rose his eyebrow.

"To the dorms?" He inquired.

I nodded. Didn't he hear me the first time?

"No. You're coming with me." He said.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** OUUUU. Things are finally starting to get moving. What happened while Lea was unconscious will be explained in the next chapter ;) so sorry for the OOCness. And the story is progressing kind of fast now ;)

Thanks for reading! Sorry for the long update (I know, it's been a whole month). But school is killing me :( WORRY NOT. There should be more breaks soon, and term 1 is going to end soon :) OH and then there's also the strike that is going to happen, so hopefully I can start catching up with writing.

Once again, this chapter (and the others) have not been betaED. I've reviewed this story twice, and hopefully there aren't too many mistakes. However, please let me know if there are any or if there needs to be more clarification on stuff!

Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving! Please Review. Criticism much appreciated!


	8. Chapter 8: The Chasm

**Author's Note:** Hi guys! OKAY DON'T KILL ME, I apologize for the late update. Although I can't guarantee that I'll be updating anything any time soon, I promise that I'll never abandon any of my stories. So let's get right into it shall we? It's a bit shorter than the other chapters, but I'm currently working on the next chapter, so stayed posted! Without any further ado, enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Divergent.

* * *

Chapter 8: The Chasm

"No. You're coming with me." Eric said pulling me to him.

He grabbed onto my arm harshly. I stared back into his blue eyes. "No," I said.

"No?" He asked, still holding onto my arm, raising one of his pierced eyebrows. An amused smirk played on his lips.

"No. I'm not going with you," I emphasized. Wasn't it against the rules or something for an initiate to stay with her mentor? Alone? People would definitely get the wrong idea.

"So you want to stay in the dorms, in the safety that you were guaranteed before. Are you so sure that your kidnappers won't strike again?" He asked calmly, leveling out my gaze.

I stayed silent for a while. "Of course, I don't want to die," I whispered, breaking the eye contact. "But I can't keep on running away from things. I'll deal with it, somehow." I said. "I _will not_ be living in fear." I looked back into his piercing eyes.

He loosened his grip on my arm for a moment before tightening it more. I winced in pain but didn't dare break the contact.

The silence settled in between us, and it took me a while to realize that I wasn't going to be getting away with this one.

The darkness of the campus, save for the single light that illuminated the training ground, surrounded us like the moonlight which shined in the darkest of nights. Still, I stubbornly fought my urge to look away or give in. Eric leaned in closer, inching his face closer to mine.

"Wha-what are you doing?" I half-whispered, too startled to react.

He leaned in more, as if to whisper something in my ear. "Are you afraid?" He asked. His breath tickled my ear as I felt a shiver run down my spine.

Puzzled I turned my head to where his was, our breaths mingling. "Afraid of what?" I whispered much more loudly than before.

"Afraid of me?" He questioned.

* * *

 **Lea's POV (flashback)**

" _Tris!" I tried to call out her name before a hand muffled my voice. Tris! My mind was still screaming her voice._

 _I tried to fight back whoever was holding me. I wondered, how long could I keep on fighting until help came? Did anyone hear my voice? My body was struggling against my captor's hold. I tried to kick back, to somehow hurt my captor in order to help Tris. She was now hanging over the edge of the chasm. They were about to push her off, and I was going to be next. The tears were spilling from my eyes. I was going to watch Tris die._

 _I struggled even more, desperate now. I was panicking, this wasn't good. The captor put his mouth to my ears and spat, "Shut up." Before I could think of anything to do, he pulled onto my hair, ready to pound my head against the pavement. I watched one last time before fainting. Tris… She pulled onto one of the three captors' masks to reveal Al's face. Shock. Shock was the last feeling that came through me before I blacked out._

* * *

Why would I be afraid of him? As if he could read my thoughts, he added, "So you trust me then?" A wide smirk spread across his face.

"I didn't say that!" I said.

"You didn't." He said, matter-of-factly.

Where was he getting at?

"I… I'm going to the dorms." I said with a hint of finality in my voice. I left without turning to see his expression.

* * *

 **Eric's POV (flashback)**

 _I heard her before I saw Four run in her direction._

" _Tris!" Someone was crying for help. She was crying for her friend than for herself._

 _I saw Four run past me and I followed him to the direction of the voice: The Chasm. I caught up to Four and we exchanged eye contact. The moment we both got there, we observed the situation. He went towards Tris. I had no doubt that he couldn't take out her two captors. That left me with the other situation._

 _She was unconscious by the time I got to her. Brave now, you poor soul? I thought. I turned to face my captor. Seeing me, he hesitated, but stepped forth as if to challenge me._

" _Wrong move." I said before knocking him out completely._

 _I assessed the complete situation. Four was holding onto the Stiff. I snorted. He gave me one last look before disappearing completely. Was he going to take the stiff to the infirmary? No, I seriously doubt it. Then… she would be staying with him. I smirked. I looked down to see my unconscious little pet._

" _You'll regret this." I said, before picking her up, none too gently and heading off, leaving the other bodies behind._

* * *

 **Lea's POV**

Eric's interaction took a lot more time than I realized. I had lost track of Tris and she was no longer in the dorms.

"Lea!" Kate exclaimed.

"Hey Kate. Have you seen Tris?" I asked.

She shook her head 'no.'

 _Maybe she was hiding somewhere, somewhere safe,_ I thought.

Well I'll just have to get through tonight. Stage two isn't over yet, it was only beginning.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** How was that? Slow, I know. Did this chapter clear things up a little bit? Yes... No? Haha, I'm looking forward on posting the next chapter, just a few more things to edit. Let me know your thoughts! What do you think she'll fear? Please review, blahblahblah, all that good stuff. Thanks for the follows and favs guys, but please, REVIEW! I wanna know your thoughts :D Constructive criticism much appreciated!


End file.
